The Link Between the Past and Present
by Crossword
Summary: It is 21XX. The well to do and the workers live in cities, while everyone else lives in poverty. Rebels fight against an oppressive corporation. When one such group takes in an orphan boy, the get a bit more than they bargained for...
1. Chapter 1

This is a story I have posted on the REO forums. It received positive reviews from those who read it, so I decided to submit it here. Enjoy.

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Title: The Link Between Past and Present

Author: Crossword (aka ComicX6)

Category: Heavy AU/ Action

Rating: PG-13 to be safe

Disclaimer: I do not own Rockman.exe or Megaman.exe, Capcom does. If anyone tells you otherwise, they are liars. 

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For decades men had relied on network technology, perhaps too much. While computers could make things easier to do, they were as vulnerable to viruses and bugs as they ever were...

In the early 21st century, a virus outbreak of cataclysmic proportions occurred. With it, ended the glorious age that men had known... 

After several chaotic and war filled years passed, the mega corporation Technology Incorporated, more commonly known as T-Inc or T-Corp, offered a solution: it would use its advanced technology to drive the viruses to extinction. The war weary world eagerly agreed.

But it was a lie.

While the viruses were in fact reduced, they were not completely eradicated, and then T-Corp took over.

The weak remains of world governments were swept aside, replaced by T-Corp executives. The upper class lived in comfort, while everyone else was all but forgotten. Ghettos, destitute towns, and refugee camps sprung up everywhere, often in the shadow of a gleaming city. This way of life continued into the year 21XX.

Over time, small resistance groups sprung up, usually consisting of several people and their navis. They were all independent of each other. T-Corp barely bothered with them, since they were scattered and unorganized.

This story is about one such group, and what they discovered...   
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Chapter 1: The Lost Boy   
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A small boy wandered into Kyotoro. His eyes were brown, and his mussy hair was deep red. All he wore was a filthy, tattered T-shirt and an equally forlorn pair of shorts. His bare feet were dirty and the soles encrusted with dried blood.

In one hand he clutched an old photograph, in the other, a beat up, blue, empty Progress PET. Its screen was cracked and some of its paint was chipped off. These two tokens were all he had left to remind himself that he had once had a home...

On either side of the street, if the dirt road he was walking on deserved to be called that, were shacks barely fit for human habitation. A little further on, there were slightly more desirable places to live: manmade houses and ancient barracks, all in a state of disrepair.

It was early morning, so there were not many people on the street, but there was a small group of men talking to each other. The boy hurried over to them.

''Uh, misters?'' he said timidly. One of them men turned around. He had a beard and a grizzly stock of hair. He looked down at the boy, who could not have been older than 9. ''What do you want kid?'' he growled.

The boy gulped, intimidated by the man's size and appearance. He held out the photo in a shaking hand.

''Have you seen my Mama?''

Instead of a kind answer, the man growled, '' I don't have time for games, no be gone, or you'll be sorry.''

Tears filled the boy's large, round eyes, but he did not cry. Instead, he ran in the opposite direction, as the men let out a hearty laugh.

All day he wandered the town, asking people the same question. '' Sir, have you seen my Mama?'' ''Have you ma'am?'' '' Please, she looks like this...'' But all he got were cool stares or threats.

By the end of the day he was lost, cold, and hungry. He crawled into an alley and plopped himself down next to an overflowing trash can. There, all the tears he had been holding in burst forth. Great sobs shook him, and he slowly cried himself to sleep.   
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I should have more chapters up soon. I don't think the writing is as good towards the beginning, but it gets better later on. Reviews are welcome.


	2. Chapter 2

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Chapter 2: ''Defenders of the People''   
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Terry glanced down at his cards, which were not very good. He had a Queen of Hearts, a Ten of Clubs, a Seven of Spades, and an Eight of Hearts. He glanced at his opponents, trying to determine what cards they had by their expressions. Butch wasn't having much luck, there were creases on his brow. Unless he was bluffing, he did not have a winn9ing hand. Karla, on the other hand, was maintaining a rigid poker face.

From an overhead monitor, their navis were watching the game with interest. Terry's Dash, Butch's Crushman, and Karla's Tyria.

Butch sighed and discarded one card. Karla's eyes lit up and she swiped it from the discard pile, and laid a royal flush down on the table. '' Ha! I won!'' she exclaimed, annoying Terry.

''Tough luck Terry.'' Dash said. Crushman and Tyria remained silent.

Terry placed his losing hand on the table, leaned back in his chair, and sighed. He had brown hair and green eyes and wore a T-shirt underneath a leather jacket, which was, in this day and age, quite a find. He was also wearing an old pair of jeans which had a rip above the left knee, and was faded to the point that they were almost white. On his feet were an ancient pair of sneakers.

Butch was wearing overalls and heavy boots. He had small black eyes, and he had a light blue bandana over his head. Despite a muscular build, he had a gentle nature.

Karla had dark blue eyes and black hair. She too had a bandana over her hair, but it was white instead of blue. Like Terry, she too wore jeans, except that they weren't faded, and her shirt was also white. 

Dash had a dark green body suit, and his helmet, while relatively simple, was green. His boots and gloves were also green. His symbol was of a white triangle over a black background, and his eyes were dark blue.

Crushman was purple and robotic looking. He was about 7ft tall, and had spikes coming out of his shoulders. His helmet vaguely resembled that of a football player, and his eyes glowed red.

Tyria, one of the few female navis created, had a tan body suit that showed off her female figure. She had black stripes running from her armpits to her boots, and brown hair flowed from the back of her helmet. Her eyes were also brown.

Terry took out his Progress PET and mumble ''Jack out Dash...'' Dash disappeared from the monitor, and reappeared on the PET screen. 

''What's the matter, you don't want to lose again?'' Karla asked, as she swept the cards into a pile.

Terry gazed out of the window. Their HQ was an abandoned military base, there was even a hanger and an airfield. Not far away, the town of Kyotoro was visible, they tried to stay away from it as much as possible, the villagers though that the rebels were haughty and stuck up. The Rebels were pretty much the only people apart from the upper class with PETs these days, and a new type had not been introduced in nearly a century.

''No, it's just that it's so... BORING without Slate around, he usually has us all doing something.''

Slate was their leader, who had left several days before to 'take care of some business'.

Butch scowled, and his navi voiced his thoughts, '' Then you must really be bored then, he's an inflexible, stuck up man. And his navi...'' Crushman said in his deep, bass voice.

''You could go see Vick in the archives...'' Tyria suggested.

'' With computer nerd? No way!'' Terry grumbled.

As if on cue, Vick sprung into the room. He was, as Terry said, a computer nerd. He had wild hair parted down the middle, and glasses so thick that you couldn't see his eyes. He always wore a lab coat, and everyone had learned the hard way not to ask him for technical info.

His navi was an old market model, which as far as everyone knew, had not been customized in any way. He was called Beta (''Cause he's been deleted and restored.'').

''What are you doing in here? There are no spare computer parts in here.'' asked Terry.

''Actually, I was coming to get a bite to eat, when I saw something moving out in the field.'' he answered in an annoyed tone.

''Well what was it, I don't see anything.'' said Butch, who had also come to the window.

'' It was something red, among the weeds.'' said Vick, pointing at a patch of grass that had not been cut in years.

''Well, it was probably a bird or something, cause it's obviously gone now.'' 

''Hmph.'' 

None of them were aware that there was, in fact someone hiding in the grass. A small boy, with PET and photograph in hand.   
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	3. Chapter 3

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Chapter 3: Saito   
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Night had fallen. Without all of the light pollution that cities had let off in earlier times, the sky was full of stars, including a large star band.

Butch whistled to himself as he made his way from HQ to lock down the warehouse they kept their supplies in. Inside were two jeeps, and many crates and several cargo containers, all full of a mix of legit and illegit items.

He walked over to the door's control panel, but just before he pressed the close button, he heard a noise.

It was not a loud noise, if he hadn't stopped whistling he would have missed it. It sounded like shallow breathing.

Curious, Butch looked for its source, he found it in a corner. It was a small boy, curled up and fast asleep on the ground. His hair was deep red and he was clutching a beat up PET.

The boy awoke to see four unfamiliar faces looking at him. He let out something between a shout and a whimper, and quickly backed against the wall, a look of fright on his young face.

'' Hey hey hey! We're not going to hurt you, we're not like the townspeople.'' A young man said.

The person to his right, a young woman, asked him, ''What is your name?'' 

''It's S-Sa-Saito!'' he said, almost shouting his answer.

''Saito... That's an odd name'' the woman said to herself. '' My name is Karla, by the way.'' she added.

''I'm Terry.'' said the male next to her.

''I'm Butch, I found you in our warehouse.'' said a muscular man in the background.

'' And my name is Victor, you can call me Vick.'' said an eccentric looking fellow.

'' P-Pleased t-to meet y-you...'' Saito mumbled, still clearly intimidated.

While this people had badly frightened him, they seemed different, they weren't driving him away. Swallowing his fear, he pulled a photograph out of his pocket and held it out.

''Have you seen my Mama?''

Terry took the photo and Karla, Butch, and Vick crowded around him to get a look at it.

It was fairly worn. It showed Saito and a young woman who had to be his mother. Saito looked happy in the picture, unlike now, with his dirty face and sad eyes. Standing behind him, with her hands on his shoulders was his mother. Her hair and eyes were the exact same color as Saito's, and she wore blue jeans and a white blouse. There was a building in the background, but it was impossible to decipher its name, as the letters were too small to read.

Terry noticed something else, while his mother was smiling, her eyes conveyed incredible sadness, as if she had seen terrible things. 

_Wait a minute..._ he though. There was something very wrong. According to the numbers on the bottom of the photo, it had been taken some eighty years previously!

_Its probably just a glitch or something..._ he though. _But still..._

''I'm sorry, but no, I haven't.'' he answered, handing the photo back. He really felt sorry for the kid. His mother had probably been killed, and he was now an orphan.

''Th-Thank you, Terry-san...'' Saito said sadly.

''Ah, I'm Amerropian, you don't have to call me -san.''

He looked down. ''Huh? Is that a PET you're holding?''

''Yeah. Mama gave it to me, but it's empty.''

''Can I see that?'' Vick asked, taking the blue thing anyway. He proceeded to examine it, opening its back and looking at the circuitry. Then, he returned it.

''The only damage is cosmetic, its insides are fine.'' he pronounced.

''I can handle that.'' said Butch, ''I can fix it right up for ya, how about it?''

''Thanks Butch-san.'' said Saito, looking happier.

''But what are we gonna do with this kid?'' Karla asked.

''Terry.'' came Dash's voice. Terry took out his PET. ''I think we should try to find out more about him. Let's start by finding out the name of the building in the picture.''

''Sounds like a plan.'' nodded Terry.

He was curious; were did this kid come from? Who was he? And the photo's date was really making him feel uneasy. What if it wasn't a mistake?   
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In response to a reviewer, yes, the chapters get longer as the story continues, at the beginning, I was simply trying to write down what I had envisioned. Later, and currently, I shoot for at least 6 written pages.


	4. Chapter 4

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Chapter 4: To Scilab!   
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''So, do you remember anything about your life?''

It was several days after Saito's arrival. The crew had taken him on a tour of HQ and told him what was going on these days.

Saito shook his head, ''All I really remember is waking up in a building over there.'' he said, pointing to the west.

Butch frowned. He had taken Saito outside in the hope that Saito would be more open about his past where there weren't four people and their navis breathing down his neck. Apparently, that was not the case. ''There's nothing over there but a shack three miles out that's been there for years. Do you remember where you lived, or your father, or your last name?''

Saito shook his head stubbornly, ''I only remember Mama, and whenever I asked her about Daddy she started to cry.''

Butch let out an audible sigh. He and Vick had combed Saito's blue PET for any info, but that had turned up naught. The PET was devoid of data of any kind.

And they had another worry too, for everyone had received an E-mail from Slate, their leader, that morning:

_To: All Members __  
__From: Slate __  
__Subject: Orders ___

_My business is taken care of and I am preparing to return to base. I should be back around 2200 hours tomorrow. I expect everyone to be at attention. ___

_- Slate_

Slate was strict and probably would not be pleased with the distraction that Saito posed to the rebellion.

Butch and Saito headed back to HQ a while later. When he entered, Butch found Terry, Karla, and Vick waiting for him.

Before he could ask what was going on, Karla burst out, ''We found out the name on the side of that building!'' she exclaimed.

''Yes,'' said Vick triumphantly,'' I had Beta enlarge a scan of Saito's photo and...''

''It says 'Scilab'.'' Beta finished in his slow, drone like voice. 

''Scilab was a government sponsored research facility, but it was abandoned towards the middle of the 21st century.'' explained Terry.

''Where is it?''

Terry jerked his thumb over his shoulder to a point on the horizon. There, the tops of skyscrapers were just visible. ''As luck would have it, on the other side of Densan.

Densan used to be a thriving city, but tramps and fugitives were its only residents today.

Karla looked down at Saito, ''Whadda ya say Saito? Wanna come with us?'' 

Saito shook his head, '' No Karla-san. I want to look around here some more.''

''Well, that means that one of us will have to stay here then.''

''I will, the main computer needs to be defragged anyway.'' volunteered Vick.

''Then it's settled. Terry, Karla, and I will visit Scilab then.'' said Butch.

''Huh? We're going right NOW?''

''Sure, we should do it before Slate arrives. It's only the afternoon, we've got plenty of time.'' Butch explained.

_Maybe now we'll get some answers..._ Butch thought, as a grumbling Terry and Karla hurried in his wake.   
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	5. Chapter 5

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Chapter 5: History Lessons   
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After nearly an hour of driving, Butch pulled their jeep up to Scilab. 

While Scilab had undoubtedly been well maintained in the past, years of neglect had taken its toll. Weeds were everywhere, windows were cracked, and paint was chipped.

After gaining entry, the trio found dusty floors, rusted lab equipment, and other scenes of woe and neglect. A powerful, muster odor permeated the air, making all of them gag.

Eventually, they made it to what looked like an archive room. Surprisingly, the server was still running, filling the room with a menacing hum. 

''But how can they still be running with no one maintaining them?'' Karla wondered aloud as Terry began searching for a plug in port. ''Scilab must have a very powerful generator.'' her navi answered.

''Ah ha! There's a port here!'' Terry suddenly exclaimed. He whipped out his PET.

''Plug in, Dash.exe, Transmission!''

Karla and Butch took out their PETs as well.

''Plug in, Tyria.exe!''

''Plug in, Crushman.exe!''

_''TRANSMISSION!''_

Dash was quickly joined by the female navi and the hulking one.

Spots of the net's floor were fuzzy, indicating a dire need for matinence, and here and there were gaps in the floor. If a navi fell into one such abyss, he or she would be instantly deleted.

Near the navis were several cascades of data, flowing as they had been for decades, undisturbed. Dash walked over to one of them and thrust his arm under it.

''Okay, I'm going to put in a search for Saito.'' he said.

After a while, some of the data swirled up around his arm, then it vanished. Dash closed his eyes as he sifted through all the data he had just absorbed, then he frowned.

''What's wrong, that file does mention Saito, doesn't it?'' his operator asked.

''It... does. But only once, at the end.''

''Well, what does it say?'' Terry demanded.

'' I... think I'd better tell you what the whole thing says, it would be easier to understand.''

''In 20XX there was an international police force called the Net Saviors. The three most celebrated were Netto Hikari, Enzan Ijiun, and Laika, a soldier from Sharo. Their navis were Rockman.exe, Blues.exe, and Searchman.exe, respectively.

Netto was the son of Yuuichiro Hikari, a well known scientist, who was in turn the son of Tadashi Hikari, one of the scientists who created our current network.

Netto, Rockman, and his friends helped defend the net against the criminal groups WWW, Gospel, and Nebula, and later against the extraterrestrials Duo and Slur.

After the Duo incident, Yuuichiro and his wife, Haruka, were killed in a subway accident, leaving Netto an orphan. A few months later, Laika was killed in an F-16 training accident. The landing gear malfunctioned, and the jet belly flopped and burst into flames.

A few years later, the virus outbreak, which we now call the Outbreak, began. It wasn't very severe in its early stages, so it wasn't paid much mind back then.

It then says that Enzan succeeded his father as the head of the company IPC.inc, the file doesn't mention him again...

Afterwards, the Outbreak reached unprecedented size, this was when people started to panic.

Years later, it says that Netto married his long time friend Meiru Sakura, but not all that long later he and Rockman vanished during a particularly violent stage of the Outbreak. The widowed Meiru gave birth to Saito Hikari several months after that... What the...'' 

''What happened?'' Terry asked.

''The rest of the data is corrupted, I can't read it!''

''Dammit! Isn't there anything else?''

''Only this message: Akihara 009, 18, 15, 3, 11. Then it says, 'This is a code Hikari left behind.'' - Meijin Eguchi.''

'' But if Saito was born in 20XX, then he should be in his eighties or something!'' Crushman exclaimed.

'' Yeah, I noticed that when I saw his photo.'' Terry said. '' The date was 20XX, now it's 21XX.''

''What about that message at the end? Does anyone know anything about it?'' Butch asked.

''I don't know who Meijin Eguchi is, or was, but Akihara was a residential district of Densan.'' Tyria answered.

''I'll send a copy of the file to your PETs.'' Dash promised.

'' Oh well. We learned who Saito's parents were, but not much else of use. I bet the secret to his youth was in the corrupted section.'' Terry grumbled. '' Plug out.'' he ordered, but nothing happened.

In the net, a 20ft Dreamvirus materialized in front of the navis. 

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	6. Chapter 6

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Chapter 6: Evolution   
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''Crud, we've activated the security system!'' cried Butch.

This was a classic: prevent an intruder from plugging out, sic viruses on them, and wait. It was rather crude, but effective. However, Scilab's staff had put a new spin on this old technique by siccing a Dreamvirus on the unlucky navi.

Dreamviruses were usually large, bigger than most navis, but this one was _huge_, towering over Dash, Crushman, and Tyria.

With surprising speed, the monstrosity reared its humanoid torso back, and slammed its claws into the ground, trying to smash the navis flat. The three of them managed to jump away, but only barely, and they were thrown to the ground by the sheer force.

''Uhg,'' Tyria groaned, ''How did it get so big?''

''With no one around to control it, it must have mutated and gotten bigger.'' explained Crushman.

''We're in luck though, it doesn't appear to have a Dreamaura.'' observed Dash.

The jewel on the creature's head glowed, and a meteor appeared far above, then it began speeding towards the ground. But this time the operators were ready.

''Airshoes and Areasteal! Double slot in!''

The three navis teleported away, then appeared in midair as the meteor slammed into the ground, creating a huge explosion.

''Now it's our turn to go on the offensive!'' Terry shouted. '' Neovariable Sword, slot in!''

Dash's right forearm was replaced by an oddly shaped orange sword. The Airshoes were still in effect, so he soared downwards toward the virus.

''Take this! Sonic Boom, Sonic Boom, Sonic Boom!'' he shouted, swinging his sword three times, each time sending a sonic wave towards his enemy. 

The three attacks hit the virus, creating a triple explosion, but when it faded away, the Dreamvirus appeared relatively unharmed.

At that same moment, Airshoes expired, sending Dash plummeting to the ground. He landed hard and rolled... right under the Dreamvirus! 

Dash quickly rolled to the side, just as a spider-like leg came crashing down on the spot where his head had been. The thing was trying to skewer on him!

Left, right, up, down he rolled, trying to keep from being impaled. Then he heard a deep voice shout, ''Goldfist!'', and looked up to see Crushman slugging one of the legs, one of his fists turned gold. 

The monster recoiled, allowing Dash to extract himself.

''Thanks.'' he breathed. ''No problem.'' said his rescuer.

''Well that didn't work, so I'm gonna try something else.'' Dash said as his sword expired.

He formed both of his hands into busters and raised them. ''Energy Rain!''

He fired many small, green balls of energy. But instead of exploding, they flanked the Dreamvirus on all sides. Then, many smaller beams flew from those balls, so the effect looked like a cyber laser show. 

The Dreamvirus responded by sweeping the ground with a laser that threw up a shock wave that knocked everyone over.

After seeing this, Terry turned to his fellow operators. ''Individual attacks aren't working, why don't we try Program Advances?'' he suggested.

''It's worth a shot.'' said Karla, taking out three chips. ''Wideshot, triple slot in!''

Butch also took out three chips. '' Vulcan, triple slot in!''

''Hi Cannon Hi Cannon Hi Cannon, triple slot in!'' Terry cried.

Tyria's hands morphed into a shooter with a wide, thin barrel. ''Program Advance, Super Spread!''

Crushman's right hand morphed into a large machine gun with a rotating barrel. ''Program Advance, Mugen Vulcan!''

And finally, Dash's hands fused and turned into a blue cannon. ''Program Advance, Giga Cannon!''

Tyria fired several Wideshots, Crushman's vulcan fired many small energy shots, and Dash followed up with a huge energy blast. The three attacks combined, and struck with full force.

The Dreamvirus' data fragmented into a meta cube, then vanished.

Dash let out a sigh of relief, then noticed a small cut on his arm, complete with a small trickle of data.

''You okay?'' asked Terry.

''It's nothing, just a cut I must have gotten when the virus was trying to step on me.''

''If you say so then. Plug out.''

With the plug out lock lifted, the three navis returned to their proper PETs.

''Well, we come here to solve a mystery, fail to, find another, and then get attacked by a mutant virus. I can't keep doing this.'' sighed Terry. 

''But we still have that Meijin Eguchi's message though, we should follow up on that.'' Karla reminded him.

They then proceeded to their jeep in silence, leaving the ruins of Scilab behind.   
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	7. Chapter 7

I think I'll reveal my secret of mach updating. You see, I've already posted this in its entirety on another site, so all I have to do is copy and paste into Word, make some minor alterations, and presto! Instant update! Time taken, about five minutes.

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Chapter 7: Slate   
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''So, let me get this straight. This Netto Hikari married this Meiru Sakurai, and they had Saito, but that was like, eighty years ago?'' Vick asked.

It was the evening of the day after the trip to Scilab. Everyone was crashed in the lounge, which consisted of several leather chairs, a sofa, and a coffee table. On top of the table sat the four PETs, each on displaying its holographic screen, so that the navis could see what's going on.

''Yep, that pretty much sums it up.'' Karla answered. She was sprawled across the sofa.

''Then how do you explain him?'' Vick asked, pointing at Saito, who was taking no notice of them, completely absorbed in a picture he was drawing.

Karla moved into a sitting position, ''We told you already, we really don't know. It's just so... bizarre...''

''Bizarre is right. I've asked Beta to take a look at that file but...'' began Dash.

''...It's corrupted too much to be natural, it had to have been facilitated by a person.'' Beta finished.

''Well, what about that code we found? Has anyone made any progress on that?'' Tyria asked.

''Hmph, it's not much of a code. Akihara 009 could mean Akihara House No. 9... and R is the 18th letter of the english alphabet, O is the 15th, than C is the 3rd...'' Butch trailed off.

Terry's eyes widened. ''That spells out 'Rock'! Rockman was the name of Netto's navi! Maybe he wasn't deleted but was actually...''

''What are you talking about?''

''That message is really telling us where Rockman is! He was hidden in Netto's house in Akihara!''

''But why would anyone hide him?''

''I don't know, but I think we should go there and see if he really is there, he might know stuff about Saito, or we could get him to join our group! He was supposed to be exceptional, so I'm sure Slate would let us go find him-''

''What about Slate?'' a cold voice said.

Everyone turned to the terminal that the voice had come from. A navi was staring back at them.

He was of medium height, and his bodysuit was dark purple, while his boots and gloves were red. His helmet was also dark purple, with red fins and a blue triangle on the front. Long blond hair spilled from the back, and there were two protrusions on either side of the helmet, a lot like mouth guards. He wore a short cloth tunic, also red, over his upper torso. His symbol was of a long blue triangle over a black background, and it was displayed on the tunic's left side, like a badge.

''Uh, hello Zero...'' Dash mumbled.

''What are all of you doing?'' Zero continued, arms crossed.

''Well, we were just... relaxing, that's all.'' Terry answered lamely. 

''Right, relaxing.'' said Zero in a tone that clearly showed that he didn't believe him.

He looked down and spotted Saito, who was blissfully ignorant of what was going on around him. ''Who's that?'' Zero asked, pointing at the young redhead.

Terry was spared having to answer the question by the arrival of Slate. 

Slate was tall, with black hair that was spiked backwards and his eyes were icy blue. He was wearing an overcoat and khaki cargo pants.

His real name was Akira Iwasaki, but he was called Slate because his face was hard to read. Years ago he had been a member of T-Corp's enforcement squad, there he had been called 'Iwaki'.

''Oh, uh, hi boss.'' said Butch nervously, moving to block Saito from view, even though he was still in full view of Zero.

''Akira-sama, there's a child in here that they are trying to hide.'' Zero said calmly.

''Really. Bring him here.'' Slate ordered.

Not daring to disobey, Vick and Karla brought a confused looking Saito forward.

''He's an orphan! He was being mistreated by the townspeople, we couldn't let him-'' Karla blurted out.

''Silence!'' Slate and Zero shouted at the same time, and Karla immediately shut up.

Slate lowered himself so that he was eye level with Saito. ''What's your name boy?''

''S-Saito.'' Saito answered nervously.

''His last name is Hikari.'' Butch added.

A brief lock of surprise passed over Slate's face, but it instantly vanished.

_So Slate recognizes the name!_ was the collective thought. 

''Hikari... Interesting...'' Slate said quietly.

''He will just impede our upcoming mission we should get rid of him.'' Zero stated, eyes narrowing.

''You don't have to be so cold Zero!'' Dash shouted from his PET. 

''You're lucky that you're over there, otherwise I would have taught you a lesson for speaking to me like that!'' Zero said, a dangerous edge to his voice.

Terry sent the blond navi a scathing look. Zero could sometimes be, well, an asshole.

''So, uh, what did you do on your trip?'' Butch asked, in an attempt to steer the conversation away from Saito.

Slate withdrew a manila envelope from his coat. The words 'Proto Di-'' were visible, the rest was covered by his hand. ''I gathered this important files and documents. They contain some very important, no, extremely important data. I am now calling an official meeting so that we can discuss them.''

He thumbed a button on his PET, and Zero plugged out of the terminal. 

Slate turned around and started to leave the room.

''What about Saito?'' Karla asked.

''He can stay, for now. Now what are you all standing there for? I've called a meeting.''

And with that, he left the room.   
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Yes, that is Zero, _the_ Zero. This one has no connection to the Zero in Transmission and Beast Plus, this one is based off of the Zero series Zero, hence the near identical design. I felt that he was appropriate because the Zero series is about rebels too, and that particular Zero looks more, navi like. Never really liked the artwork of the X series. And, at least for now, he's a jerk, so bear with me, because he does soften up, eventually.


	8. Chapter 8

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Chapter 8: A Stream of Data   
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Slate, Karla, Butch, Vick, and Terry entered the conference room and sat down at its long table. Saito was still intimidated by Slate, so he stood near the back, avoiding Slate's gaze.

Slate placed the envelope on the table; the words ' Proto Dimensional Chips' were visible.

''Dimensional Chips?'' Terry asked. ''What are those?''

''Let me explain.'' began Slate. ''In the early 20th century, the Earth was visited by a being named Duo. His subordinate, a navi named Slur, gave navis to individuals. These navis were called 'Asteroids.' Now, the recipients of these navis also received Dimensional Chips. These battlechips allowed a navi to manifest itself in the real world.'' 

''Uh huh...'' Vick said, unconvinced. ''And just how did they do that?'' 

Slate shrugged, '' I do not know, it was alien technology.''

While he had been talking, Terry had taken the envelope and was now sifting through its contents. The first page showed a photo of a female navi with a green and white outfit clashing with a tall navi with black armor, a green cape, and a yellow green sword.

The next showed a beast like navi with razor sharp claws standing amid destroyed cars and shattered glass. The picture was captioned, _Beastman, first contact with an Asteroid_.

The third page showed a gray-blue chip with a crystal in its center. 

The rest was mostly technical mumbo-jumbo that he didn't understand, but the last one had a photo of a glowing blue tube, which was labeled, _Dimensional Converter_.

''Anyway,'' Slate continued, ''That threat eventually passed.''

''So... what does that have to do with us?'' asked Butch.

''Well, I've found info, that a scientist within T-Corp has managed to develop a prototype.''

''WHAT! How!''

Slate took the page that Terry had been looking at, and then he pointed to the tube. ''This is a Dimensional Converter. It can create an area called a Dimensional Area. Navis and viruses can enter an area covered by a Dimensional Area.

Now, these chips have a shard of a Converter inside of them, that is how they work.''

Zero continued his operator's explanation. '' Akira-sama has discovered that there is a manufacturing plant for these things somewhere in Japan. We must find it and shut it down!''

''But of course, we need to find out where it is first.'' finished Slate. 

''Now, it appears that you have been busy during my absence.'' he said glancing toward Saito. ''Tell me everything.''

Half an hour later, their tale was complete. Everything, from Saito's arrival, to the trip to Scilab, to discovering that Rockman was still alive.

''Rockman... so he is still out there...''

''Hm? You know about him?''

'' Of course I do. He was an exceptionally skilled navi, thanks in part to-'' he stopped himself before he said 'Ultimate Program.' 

''Fine.'' he continued, '' This will be our next priority, finding Rockman. He will be able to help us.''

''Hear that Saito?'' Karla said cheerfully, ''We're going to get your father's old navi!''

Saito took out his, Netto's, PET and looked down at it. ''H-Hai...'' he said quietly. Then he looked up at Slate. ''Arigatou, Akira-san.'' 

''Humph, whatever. We leave for Akihara tomorrow morning.''

And with that, he left the room. 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So now I've introduced a new plot, as well as referenced Stream 21, one of Stream's

Better episodes. I'm still at a loss as to how Blues Soul Rockman managed to hit

Slur with his sword and leave a cut on her cheek, whereas in Stream 48 she was

Hit with far more powerful attacks multiple times and didn't even get scratched.


	9. Chapter 9

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Chapter 9: The Navi, the Sanctuary, and the Guardian   
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The next day dawned cool and gray. A drop of rain fell from the overcast sky, threatening to rain.

The five rebels were going to travel to Akihara, the home of Netto Hikari, to try to find Rockman. They had decided to bring Saito with them, he deserved this more than anyone else did.

The trip did not take long; they simply drove on an old highway system to Densan. Akihara was a mile or two outside of the city center, so it would not take them much time to arrive.

Akihara was typical of many abandoned neighborhoods. Houses that hadn't been broken into were boarded up, paint was pealing, and weeds and other wild plant life reigned supreme.

House #9 was what they were looking for, and it was also run down and neglected, but it hadn't been broken into at least.

''This is it.'' Slate, the driver, said, pointing at a rusted number 9 next to the door.

The door was, of course, locked. Terry raised his foot to try to kick it down, but he was stopped by Vick.

''Easy kid, I have a more practical solution.''

''Oh really?'' Terry grumbled.

Smiling at Terry's indignation, Vick took out a small plastic card and he inserted it into the crack between the door and the wall. He then swiped it downwards, and with a click, the door unlocked.

''Works every time.''

The interior was dark, dusty, and full of stale air. There were no pieces of furniture to speak of, and there were also no electronic devices either.

''Do you remember any of this?'' Karla asked Saito, who was peering around, a look of curiosity on his face.

''Sssorta...'' he said slowly.

''Hmm. This place just creeps me out.'' Butch said, turning slowly around to face everyone. ''It's like there are eyes watching my back our something.''

''There's nowhere to plug in either...'' Terry said in a disappointed voice. 

''That's because you've only looked downstairs, there may be a port upstairs.'' Slate said, pointing to a staircase that led, obviously, upstairs.

The upstairs was not much different than downstairs. It was just as dank, dusty, and barren. However, there was one piece of furniture, a desk, which was all alone in what probably used to be a bedroom. And on the desk was...

''A computer...'' Terry said quietly, stepping into the room. Everyone else followed suit.

Then Butch broke the silence with a startling comment: '' Someone died in here.''

'' WHAT!'' Karla exclaimed. ''What on Earth made you say something like that!''

''I... I don't know. I've felt uneasy since we entered here, and when I entered this room...'' he gulped, ''It felt as if my heart was seized in an icy fist.'' This confession was followed by a ringing silence. 

''H-Hey!'' Terry said nervously, '' The desk is bolted to the floor!''

''And the computer is attached to the desk as well.'' Slate observed. 

Karla opened one of the desk drawers, and let out a small exclamation at its contents. She held up two picture frames, each containing a photograph.  
Her face was pale with excitement. ''Saito's...''

The first one showed two children, probably around 11 or 12 years old. The boy had brown eyes and hair, which was a strange combination of mussy and spiky. He wore a blue headband with a red circle on it, bisected by a black line. He was also wearing an orange vest, white shirt, black shorts, and a quizzical expression.

The girl had shoulder length, deep red hair and brown eyes. She was wearing a pink skirt, light green shirt, and a blue vest as well. 

The other picture showed the same two people, about 14 years or so later. Meiru Sakurai looked pretty much the same that she had in Saito's photograph; her hair was in the same shoulder length style that it had been when she had been a child, and she was wearing a black sweater and khaki pants.

Netto Hikari was wearing a casual suit, and had tried to tame his hair, with a moderate degree of success. Instead of a headband, he wore an armband. Judging from the couple's attire and tree in the background, the photo had been taken sometime in autumn.

''These are your parents Saito.'' Karla said, handing him the latter picture. 

Saito took it and examined it. '' That's Mama.'' he said, pointing to Meiru, '' But who's that guy with her?''

''That is your father, Netto Hikari.'' Karla told him.

''Daddy...'' 

There was a silence.

''Alright, enough of this!'' Slate suddenly snapped. ''We have work to do!'' 

Fortunately, he had his back to everyone, so he missed the daggers they were glaring at him.

'' I have inspected the computer, and it is an older model.'' he announced. '' The ports can only handle one navi at a time, and there are only two ports. Naturally, I'm using the first one.''

''Only two huh? So who'll go?'' Vick asked.

''You.'' Slate said, pointing at Terry.

''Me?'' 

''Yes, you. While you're not the best operator, ( Terry silently fumed at this.) your navi has skill. Dash will accompany Zero.''

He proceeded to take out his purple and red Progress PET.

'' Plug in, Zero.exe!''

''Plug in, Dash.exe!''

_TRANSMISSION!_

Zero and Dash materialized in the computer's cyberworld, and what an odd cyberworld it was.

Instead of the norm, the floor was pewter gray and extended infinitely in all directions. There was no ceiling, instead there were many bright stars, as if they were staring into the beautiful depths of space. And standing several meters away from the two navis was...

... another navi. Its eyes were closed, and its head bowed. His body suit and armor were various shades of blue, with yellow shoulder pads and yellow squares on his helmet. There was a white stripe running on either side of him from his boots to his armpits. There was a tuft of blue- black hair poking out of the back of his helmet, and his emblem was of a red circle with a slash through it...

''Rockman...'' Dash whispered. After all this time, he really had been hidden away in this old, worn- down house.

''Well, looks like you were right after all.'' Zero said, his back to Dash. 

But before Dash could think up a retort, another navi materialized in front of him.

This navi was around Zero's height, with red armor, boots, helmet, and gauntlets. His bodysuit was purple, and his helmet had a spike sticking up into the air. His eyes were covered by a visor, and long gray hair fell down his back. His emblem was half white, half black. 

''Who are you!'' Zero demanded. ''Tell me!''

''I'll tell you my name if you tell me yours.''

''Rrrrrrgggggg! I'm Dash.exe and he's Zero.exe!'' Dash shot, exasperated. ''Now who are you?''

The red navi put his fist to his chest.

''I am Blues.exe.'' 

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Heh, bet ya didn't see that comin', did ya?


	10. Chapter 10

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Chapter 10: Buster and Saber Verses Blade   
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'' Blues.exe! What are you doing here!'' Terry gasped. It was just too much, Blues.exe, the legendary net savior, the navi of Enzan Ijiuun, and here he was, in front of Dash and Zero, in an old, abandoned house.

''I am honoring Hikari's last request, that I protect his navi, my friend Rockman.exe, until the time his power is needed.'' the red navi responded.

''W-well, that's exactly why we came here, so can you like, just hand him over or something?'' Dash asked nervously.

''You two are not in my databanks, so I can only assume that both of you are enemies.'' He turned his right hand into a red sword. ''And that means that I must delete you two.''

A sword hilt appeared in front of Zero, and when he grabbed it, a blue, triangular blade immerged from it. ''Fine.'' he growled, ''I'll delete you easily.''

Zero was either being over confident, or showing off his arrogance, Dash thought as he morphed his own hand into a buster. ''We don't have to do this...''

A holographic display popped up over both Terry's and Slate's PET. Slate started to select two chips, but before he could finish, Blues was suddenly right in front of the two navis. The two barely had time to duck the subsequent slash.

''So fast... I didn't even see him move!'' Dash gasped.

Slate reselected the two chips and dragged them over to Zero. ''Grasseed and Mega-Cannon, slot in!''

A glass blub filled with green liquid appeared in Zero's free hand and he threw it in Blues' direction. Blues, of course, easily dodged it. The bulb shattered and released green gas, which turned part of the floor to grass.

Then Zero's left hand, his right was holding the Z-Saber, morphed into a red cannon. He fired a blast, but once again Blues dodged it. ''You're going to need much more speed if you're going to hope to beat me.''

What was Slate playing at? Terry wondered. As far as he knew, Grasseed was pretty useless, and Mega Cannon, while powerful, was slow. 

Apparently though, Zero knew exactly what he was doing. ''_NOW!_'' he cried, and on his command, vines leapt out of the grass and bound Blues' feet so tightly that he could not move. Zero then fired several shots, all of which found their mark. Blues was obscured by the resulting explosion.

Dash expected Zero to gloat, but instead, his eyes widened and he said '' Nani?''

Terry knew that this meant _What!_, but he could not see why Zero had said this, because Blues was still obscured, but when the smoke faded away, Blues was unharmed, in fact, he was protected by an energy barrier.

''No way! That's the Barrier battlechip! How'd he use it without an operator to slot them in?'' Dash gasped.

''Hikari modified me so that I could slot in chips on my own.'' Blues answered. He then cut himself free.

_How can we win against an opponent like that?_ Terry wondered. Blues could use absolutely any chip he wanted. In a normal battle, it was proper etiquette to announce what chip you were using, to give your opponent some warning, even if it was only a second. But Blues was a navi, not an operator, so the usual rules did not apply to him. 

''Air Hockey! Slot in!'' Terry shouted, inserting the chip into his PET. Air Hockey was fast, maybe it could hit Blues before he could dodge. In the cyberworld, the disk came flying across the floor towards its target, but Blues used an Areasteal to warp in front of Dash, and he proceeded to punch him with a Goldfist.

Dash fell, gasping, and looked up to see Blues coming down on him with his sword. Fortunately, Terry was ready. '' Aquasword, slot in!'' 

Dash's forearm morphed into a blue sword, which allowed him to block the attack. But while Dash was pretty good with a sword, he was nowhere near as good as Blues or Zero, so no matter how many blows he blocked, he still suffered slices on his shoulder and side. He fell to his knees, exhausted from the effort.

Convinced that Dash was down for a while, Blues attacked Zero next. Zero fared much better than Dash did, and the block turned into a duel between the two swordsmen.

After a little bit, the two leapt apart, both were visibly panting. ''Well, I admit that both of you have some skill. Most other navis would have been beaten by now.''

''Tell me one thing.'' Zero said, planting the tip of his saber into the ground as a symbol of truce. ''You were the netnavi of Enzan Ijiuun, why are you here, how are you here?''

Behind his visor, Blues' eyes darkened. '' Enzan-sama was the president of IPC.inc, until he was murdered by a mentally unstable man! If it wasn't for Hikari's actions, I would have been deleted.''

''Can you tell us what happened?'' Dash asked, picking himself up. He was interested in hearing more about Enzan, since the Scilab file had barely mentioned him.

''Well, as a reward for lasting this long, I will tell you.'' Blues said, turning his sword back into a hand.

''It happened when the trouble with the viruses began to get serious...'' 

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	11. Chapter 11

Not sure if this is needed, but there is a little bloody violence here, so, just

in case that was needed, there it is.

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Chapter 11: Blues' Recollection   
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(Note: Netto and Enzan would be roughly 26 and 27, respectively)

'' You should hurry Enzan-sama. We shouldn't keep the guests waiting.'' 

Enzan selected a gray tie from his closet and put it on. He lived in the well to do part of Densan, but he tried to not appear to be a rich snob. '' Don't rush me Blues, it takes time to prepare for things like this.'' he said.

He was preparing for a party being hosted by IPC at one of Densan's ritziest hotels. The occasion was a generous donation to a local charity, and Enzan wanted to give a good impression.

He then selected a white blazer, put that one, then turned around and held his PET out in front of him. '' How do I look Blues?''

'' Sharp.'' he answered. '' Now, we should hurry, as I said before...'' 

'' I know. We shouldn't keep the guests waiting.''

The party hall was already filled with people when Enzan arrived. The guests included local business partners, political figures, and workers.  
Enzan surveyed the group for a bit, then heard a familiar voice.

'' Let me by! I want to speak to him!'', followed by some hasty apologizes from a second voice.

A man emerged from a group of scandalized looking women. He threw them an annoyed look as he brushed off his suit.

'' Hello Netto.'' Enzan said, surveying his friend.

Netto had donned a classic black suit and tie. He was also wearing a blue armband, having exchanged his old headband for it. His hair was tamer than it had been when he was a child, but it was still a wee bit unkempt.

'' Oh, hello Enzan.'' he said, looking up.

Enzan, like Netto, had also changed. His hair was mostly white now, and his eyes were proof that running a company was very stressful.

'' Hello Enzan, Blues.'' Rockman said from his PET. Blues nodded back from his own.

'' So, how've you been doing these days?'' Netto asked, leaping right into conversation.

'' Can't complain, I suppose. It's a lot of work, and the recent virus outbreaks have gotten more serious. People are starting to become seriously concerned. So demand for our products have gone up.''

'' Oh yeah, congratulations.'' he added.

Netto's face adopted the quizzical expression it had often worn during childhood. '' Congratulations for what?'' he asked.

'' How thick headed are you? You haven't forgotten that, relatively recently, you got MARRIED, haven't you?''

'' O-Of course I haven't!'' Netto protested, his face turning red.

'' Sigh, your memory hasn't changed much since you were a child Netto-kun.'' Rockman lamented.

Enzan smiled to himself. That was true. Netto hadn't changed that much, even after 15 years.

'' Meiru didn't want to come, did she?''

'' No.'' Netto said. '' She said that she would've felt out of place with all these high society people around.''

'' How have you been Blues?'' Rockman asked.

'' To tell you the truth, bored. We don't do much fighting anymore. I mostly just oversee the working navis and programs and help Enzan-sama complete paperwork. Being a CEO is not as exciting as being a net savior.''

'' Well, enough about us, how has life been treating you lately?'' Enzan asked.

'' Well, I'm a part time net savior, part time researcher, so the recent spike in virus activity has kept me very busy. I guess it was hard for Papa too...'' Netto trailed off, and Enzan knew why. Netto had been full of grief when his parents had died when he was a kid, and he did not like to talk about it.

'' It's been busy here too.'' Enzan said, steering the conversation away from Netto's parents. '' Did you know that we caught an embezzler a few months ago? Turned out, he was more than a little crazy, but he had hacked his medical records to cover it up!''

'' Geez, some people will do anything for money.'' sighed Netto.

They spent the next forty five minutes or so catching up on old times, making the other guests envious of the man that was receiving so much attention from such an important man.

Netto accidentally backed into someone, so he turned around to apologize lest Rockman start on him again, but he was greeted with the scent of stale beer.

He turned and saw a short, grimy man with a shabby jacket and a chinful of stubble.

'' Who are you?'' Netto asked. This man did not look like he belonged here. He looked like a hobo, not an invitee to a party.

'' Netto! That's Yoshi Yamasu, the embezzler I was telling you about! He got off on those charges!'' Enzan shouted.

'' And how did he get in here?'' Netto wondered.

Yoshi turned around. '' Enzan-san...'' he muttered, reaching into his jacket, giving Netto a very sick feeling.

_BAM! BAM!_

Blues' PET feel to the floor with a clatter. '' ENZAN-SAMA!''

'' Enzan!'' both Netto and Rockman gasped.

Enzan stood there, eyes wide with shock as his white suit was stained red with blood pouring from two gunshot wounds to his chest.

Yoshi looked down at Blues' PET, which had stopped by his foot. He raised a foot, preparing to stomp on it.

'' NO!'' Netto shouted, surging forward. He punched Yoshi, knocking the gun away and making him lose his balance. '' Netto-kun!'' Rockman shouted. Netto's actions were all it took. Eight burly security guards tackled Yoshi, cuffed him, then dragged him away. People had finally realized what had happened, and chaos broke out. Men were shouting and women were screaming.

Through the confusion, Netto run over to Enzan as he went down on one knee, coughing up blood as he did so. Netto put one arm around him to support him. He didn't care that blood was staining his expensive suit, all that mattered was the life of his friend. '' Someone's called an ambulance.'' he reported, his face pale.

Enzan nodded weakly, even though he knew in his heart that they would be too late. '' Netto... get... Blues...''

Netto picked up the fallen PET and handed it to him. '' Are you all right Enzan-sama?'' Blues asked with relative calm, but his earlier scream betrayed his true emotions.

Enzan coughed up some more blood. '' I'll be okay... Blues.'' He turned to Netto and handed him his PET. '' Take care of Blues... Netto... friend. Blues, Netto will be... your new... operator...''

'' Don't talk like that Enzan-sama! Please, don't!'' Blues pleaded.

'' Hold on Enzan!'' Netto pleaded, his hands smeared with Enzan's blood. 

'' Goodbye, Hikari... Blues...'' Enzan mumbled.

'' No! Please, don't... die... Enzan-sama...'' Blues pleaded, abandoning his emotional mask.

Enzan smiled weakly, and Blues' and Netto's faces were the last things he saw before darkness claimed him. 

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	12. Chapter 12

If people thought that that was sad, then it means that the words written down had enough feeling in them to move people. I guess that is the greatest complement a writer can receive.

Thank you.

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Chapter 12: Broken Blade   
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'' That is why I fight.'' Blues said as he finished his story. '' It was Enzan-sama's last wish that Hikari take care of me, and it was his that I protect Rockman so that his power could be used again.''

'' But that is why we came.'' Zero said. '' The world has changed from what you knew. It is now covered by oppression and discontent.''

'' If you two do manage to defeat me and revive Rockman, what would you use his power for? What are _you_ fighting for?'' Blues retorted.

'' I am fighting because it is, sadly, the only way to restore justice these days.'' Dash answered. '' I know that it will be very difficult, but with my operator Terry behind me, I can't lose!''

_So much like Netto and Rockman..._ Blues thought. He turned to Zero. '' And you? What are you fighting for?''

Zero narrowed his eyes and answered, '' When Akira-sama and I were Enforcers, we witnessed atrocities by the government. We were also forced to do things that neither of us are proud of. We swore that we would try to end the suffering, whatever it took. I will not hesitate. If an enemy appears before me, I will destroy it. And I trust that my operator will support me when I need aid.''

_So that's why the two of them are so harsh..._ Dash thought.

'' And you believe that obtaining Rockman will help you reach that goal?'' Blues said. '' I watched a civilized society fall to its knees! Do you really think that he can help if it is so much worse now, as you say?''

'' Then it sounds like you don't think he is worth it then...'' Zero muttered.

'' Enough! It is time for us to us to finish! I swore that I would protect him, and protect him I shall!''

'' W-Wait!'' Dash shouted. '' There is one other reason, it's... Saito... Hikari...''

'' Saito... could it be...'' Blues whispered.

'' Do you know anything about him?'' Dash asked eagerly.

'' All I know is that that was what Meiru was planning to name her child.'' Blues said. '' But why would that give me a reason to hand over Rockman?''

'' Because he is lost and confused, and he needs a part of his old, almost forgotten family for guidance.'' Dash said, choosing his words carefully.

'' Give it up already.'' Zero said, plucking his saber out of the ground. '' He's not going to hand him over willingly, we must delete him, it is the only logical course of action to take.''

'' I agree.'' Blues said, morphing his arm into his default sword again, '' Enough of this chatter! Woody Tower!''

Dash and Zero both leapt away as the ground they were standing on was pierced by sharp wooden spears. Dash landed a bit more roughly than he would've liked, he was still a little weak from his wounds. Unfortunately, Blues did not give him a break.

'' Delta Ray Edge!''

Dash looked up to see a red triangle flying towards him. He screamed as he was thrown through the air, and he smashed into one of the wood spears.

'' Dash! Are you all right!'' Terry cried.

'' That attack was... so powerful...'' Dash groaned. '' One more hit like that, and I could be... Deleted!''

Meanwhile, Zero and Blues had gotten into another sword duel. After dodging a sonic boom, Zero brought his saber over his head, then brought it down on the ground. '' _Saber Wave!_''

The blade unleashed a wave of pure energy, which slammed into Blues, and knocked him over. He morphed his left hand into a Bamboo Sword as he got up, then used an Areasteal to warp over to Zero. '' Die!'' he shouted as he brought both blades down on Zero, however, he managed to block with his saber in one hand, and forcefully punched him with the other.

Blues fell again, but when he got back up, he noticed that the Bamboo Sword was gone. He looked up to find Zero wielding _both_ weapons. '' How did you do that!'' he demanded.

'' That's the power of the Z-Knuckle. It allows me to steal a weapon type battlechip that the opponent is using. Now it's time for _you_ to die!'' He rushed over to Blues, and before he could react, he had been run through by both of the blades.

_Netto Hikari... Enzan-sama... I've failed you..._

His data blew away, like sand in the wind.

'' You didn't have to do that.'' Dash said angrily.

Zero turned his back to him. '' As I said before, deleting him was the only logical course of action to take. You heard what I told him earlier, _If an enemy appears before me, I will destroy it._ And he was an enemy. Now, let's see about Rockman.''

Dash limped over to where Rockman was, channeling as much malice as possible towards the blond swordsman. Then he stopped, and got a good look at Rockman.

Rockman's features were based off of a boy just beginning to enter his teenage years. Which was surprising, since Dash had imagined him to be older, more powerful looking. Instead, he was gazing at a skinny boy, you looked not only not that tough, but also... relatively average. Dash noticed his emblem and reached out to touch it, to see if it was indeed the same one on Saito's PET.

But when his finger made contact, the emblem suddenly began to glow. Dash jerked his hand back, surprised. '' What the heck...''

'' A reaction to the touch of navi data, perhaps?'' Terry suggested. 

The glow faded, and Dash and Zero stepped back, in the real world Vick, Saito, Karla, and Butch crowded around Slate and Terry, to try to see what was happening.

Rockman slowly opened his emerald green eyes, and groggily looked around. Then he spoke: '' Who... are you?''

'' I'm Dash.exe, and he's Zero.exe.'' Dash said, pointing to Zero. '' We're rebels.''

'' R-Rebels? What's going on? Did you two reawaken me? Is this... a dream?'' Rockman asked quietly.

'' No, it isn't a dream. I'm Terry, Dash's operator.'' Terry said through a view screen that had appeared. '' And this is Slate, Zero's operator.'' he added.

He then proceeded to introduce the rest of the group, but before he got to Saito, Rockman asked another question. '' You... deleted Blues... didn't you...'' Terry nodded grimly.

Rockman sighed, and was about to say something, when he noticed Saito, who stood out because of his deep red hair. '' Who is that?''

'' That is Saito Hikari.'' Zero said calmly.

'' Saito-kun! Is it really you!'' Rockman gasped. '' It is! It's me Rockman! My Daddy is Netto, and my Mama was Meiru!'' Saito cried, almost shouting the words.

'' But... I'm so confused...'' Rockman muttered, bringing a hand to his helmet.

'' If you come with us, we'll tell you everything.'' Karla said soberly. 

'' You seem like good people... I... I think I can trust you... I-I'll come, but I'll need to be told everything.'' Rockman said, sounding quite nervous.

Saito nodded, and took out his PET, Netto's so long ago... '' Plug out!'' 

Rockman materialized his familiar PET, it was actually quite comforting really.

'' Rockman...'' Saito said quietly, looking down at the PET.

'' Hello... Saito-kun!'' 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Zero's '' I will not hesitate speech was taken almost verbatim from the Zero series. His ' Saberwave' attack is supposed to be the charged Z- Saber attack from the games, and the Zero Knuckle was a weapon from Zero4 that allowed you to use a defeated enemy's weapon for a limited amount of time. I tweaked it to fit EXE style battles.

Well, I'm done with the Rockman plot, onto the second half of the story, the Copy Dimensional Chip plot.


	13. Chapter 13

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Chapter 13: Trouble Brewing...   
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_Bzzt_

'' What is it?''

'' Your guest is here sir.''

'' Very well. Let him in.''

Dr. Mattel spared one last glance toward the night view of the skyscrapers of Hiroshima before sitting down at his desk. Just over 150 years ago, Hiroshima had been wiped out by the first atomic bomb in 1945. It had been rebuilt, and was now a splendid city. It sort of represented the world. It had been almost destroyed by the Outbreak, but now it was rebuilt. Just like the city, broken and rebuilt. 

Mattel himself was not a very imposing figure. He was constantly nervous, short and thin with watery eyes and thin blond hair that was turning gray with age.

The door to his office opened, and a much more imposing figure entered. 

This man was broad and muscular, and he wore a black muscle shirt and baggy green pants. His black hair was cut in a crew cut, and harshness and evil lined his face.

'' You are Ace, I presume?'' Mattel began. '' Thank you for coming all the way out here to-''

'' Just cut to the chase Mattel!'' Ace said harshly. Why did you call me, a job I suppose.''

'' Yes, yes, a job...'' Mattel said nervously. '' You received that file on my Dimensional Chip project, correct?''

Ace nodded, '' I did.''

'' Well, then you know that there is a manufacturing plant located in western Japan, correct?'' Mattel continued. '' Well, there is a rebel group in that area.''

'' So?'' Ace growled, '' The rebel groups aren't a threat, and since you apparently want me to guard it, why aren't some government soldiers protecting it? They're much cheaper, and the government can simply pop an army out of its own ass.''

Mattel ignored Ace's crassness, but answered anyway, '' Because it is completely automated, and it's in a rather empty area. In response to what you said before, this group is, their leader, Akira 'Slate' Iwasaki, was a former Enforcer, and he stole duplicates of some important files regarding the project. My superiors warned me that if anything happened, they would refuse to fund the project anymore.'' 

'' Hmm. It's been a long time since I had a fun job...'' Ace muttered. '' How about, instead of guarding it...''

'' You want to WHAT!''

'' Yes, I do, but don't worry, I have a plan.'' Ace said mysteriously. '' I will kill all of them in a single blow. I'm sure your precious superiors will love that.''

'' Hmph, I guess I have no choice then.'' Mattel sighed, taking something out of his desk drawer. He tossed the object to Ace. '' Use this to full fill your plan.''

'' I'll contact you about the payment later.'' Ace said gruffly. He turned and exited the office, without even shutting the door as he left.

Mattel sighed at Ace's rudeness and closed the door himself. He went back to his desk and sat down, wiping more sweat from his brow. That man seemed to just emanate hatred and coldness.

If Mattel had known that he was being watched, and by whom, he would've been even more nervous.

A navi was watching him from a security camera, but he was no ordinary navi.

First off, he had no helmet. His head was covered with sleek, orange hair. His eyes were orange too. His bodysuit was white, and had various orange stripes. He wore a white vest like piece of clothing , and his gloves and boots were also white.

He smiled to himself, but then turned to see another navi materialize near him. But he recognized the signal, there was no danger.

'' Greetings, niichan.'' he said.

His sister was slightly shorter than he was, and had long purple- gray hair. She too had no helmet, but she did have a silver headband. Her eyes were pale purple. Her body suit was white, with several blue stripes down the legs and arms, and her tight bodysuit did not leave much to the imagination. Her shoulder pads were silver and vertically plated.

'' Do you have anything... unexpected happen, Solinar?'' she asked.

'' No Lunare, Mattel hired Ace exactly as we thought he would.'' Solinar said.

'' I hate the fact that we have to rely on scum like that mercenary, but the outcome will be amusing either way.'' Lunare said, her calm, feminine voice the perfect match to her brother's clear, cultured one.

'' Yes, to tell you the truth, I never cared for this Dimensional Chip project very much. But it has given us a good excuse to destroy those rebels. Akira is very resourceful, but he will learn that no matter how far he runs, he can never escape us!'' Solinar said, smiling. 

'' Yes, brother, he will learn the folly of defying us.'' Lunare nodded. 

'' Anyway, my operator and I are preparing to look into that other matter, so you will have to handle the outcome of this.'' Solinar said.

Lunare nodded, '' Yes, I will.''

The two of them logged out, their operators would be very interested in how things turned out. 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Meet Ace. He will be causing our good rebels no small amount of grief.

Solinar and Lunare aren't real important characters here, but, in the next story, we'll find out more about them. Yes, there is a sequel. But for now, they're high up on the T- Corp command chain. Solinar's outfit has changed quite a bit from when I first conceptualized him.


	14. Chapter 14

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Chapter 14: The Flame Messenger   
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'' The world really has changed... for the worse.'' Rockman said to himself. He was sitting cross legged on the floor of HQ's cyberworld. The rebels had filled him in on all that happened since he had been hidden away, and what they had discovered about Saito. '' But, how did Saito-kun get to this time period?''

Crushman shook his head, '' We've asked ourselves that many times, but we've uncovered no answers.''

Dash nodded, '' Yeah, I downloaded a file on the Hikari family from Scilab, or what's left of it, but all it said was that he was the son of Netto and Meiru, the rest was corrupted.''

'' Hmm, Netto-kun was so happy when he learned that Meiru was pregnant...'' Rockman muttered, his eyes clearly seeing something no one else could.

'' But the Outbreak worsened, and Netto-kun knew that he would be in danger, as he was a part-time researcher, part-time net savior.'' 

'' So his work was very hands on, correct?'' Butch asked.

Rockman nodded, ''Yes, so it was getting very dangerous. And then, one day, he said he had a premonition. So he secretly installed Blues and I into that computer, set Blues on standby, and me into stasis. The next thing I knew, you guys found me.''

There was a silence as everyone absorbed this information. That time must have been tough for the little navi, with all of the conflicting emotions. Proud that his operator had matured and was going to be a father, worried about the state of the world, sad that the child would grow up in such a world, and a longing for peaceful times.

On a more positive side, his presence had produced a calming effect on everyone. Maybe it was his friendly personality, or his particular aura, or maybe it was the sight of Saito and Rockman conversing in fluent Japanese, of which no one but Slate and possibly Butch could understand. Or maybe there was just something funny in the water. 

'' Rockman, what was Daddy like?'' Saito asked his navi.

'' Well, he was often forgetful, and sometimes oblivious, but he had a strong sense of justice, even though he sometimes was hard headed. I'm sure you would have like him.''

Saito nodded, '' Arigatou Rockman.''

The five, six rather, operators sat in silence, until Karla asked a question, '' Is it just me, or has it gotten warmer in here?''

Vick scowled, ''You're right, it _has_ gotten warmer in here!''

'' Hey, it's gotten hotter in here too!'' Tyria exclaimed.

'' Correct, the cyberworld's temperature has increased by 15.4 degrees fahrenheit.'' Beta calculated.

'' And it seems to be coming from over there.'' Zero said, pointing towards one of the walls that separated the different areas of the cyberworld.

Dash walked over to it and pressed his hands against it, but quickly withdrew them. '' It's burning hot!'' he grimaced, blowing on his abused hands.

_KABOOM!_

Dash was knocked backwards by an explosion that blew a breach in the wall, through which came a horde of fire viruses. There were Champys, Flame Swordys, Draggins, and Spikeys.

Dash picked himself off of the ground. '' Viruses! But how did they get in here?''

In the real world, the temperature had gone up as well. '' Worry about that later, we need to delete them first!''

Everyone readied themselves for battle. Dash, Beta, and Tyria morphed their hands into busters, while Zero summoned his saber and Crushman put up his fists.

The two of them waded into the mass of viri, hacking and punching, while the other three navis opened fire.

Rockman was going to fight too. '' Rockbuster!'' he shouted, morphing his hand into a blue buster. He moved into closer range, then began firing.

Dash ducked a punch from a Champy, blasted it, dodged a slash from a Flame Swordy, then shot that as well. '' Terry, some battlechips would be nice.''

'' Sorry! Tank Cannon, slot in!''

Dash went down on one knee as his entire arm was replaced by a large gray cannon. It fired an earth shaking blast, destroying a large group of viri.

Elsewhere, everyone else was doing fairly well. Zero was effortlessly slicing through enemies, Tyria was using a vulcan to wear down a particually defensive Champy, Rockman was picking off viri with his buster, and Crushman was tossing Spikeys around as if they were plushies. Even Beta, who wasn't designed for heavy combat, was doing pretty well. 

Karla slotted in a second Vulcan, then turned to see Saito simply staring at his PET's holographic display. '' Do you know how to operate a navi?''

'' Sorta...'' Saito admitted.

'' Well, let's just send chips for now, just touch a chip on the screen and drag it over.''

'' Like this?'' he asked, selecting a Longsword.

Rockman's buster morphed into the Longsword. He charged forward, slicing through several viri. Dash was struck by how casually he did so, as if he had been doing this since the day he was activated.

His awe was cut short by Terry slotting in a Fujin Racket. He swung it, unleashing a powerful wind gust, deleting another group of viri. 

With this threat removed, he turned to see that everyone else was done with their viruses.

'' They're all gone... but the heat is still here...'' Butch muttered, wiping some sweat from his brow.

But there was one last virus, for a shadow fell over the six navis.

'' Nan da...'' Zero muttered, slipping back into Japanese.

A Magma Dragon virus appeared overhead and spewed a stream of flame towards the ground. Dash, Tyria, Rockman, and Zero managed to easily evade, being small and light, Crushman just got away, but poor Beta was too slow and took the brunt of the attack, so he was forced to log out.

'' Aquatower, slot in!'' Karla shouted, slotting in the named chip. 

Tyria put her hand to the ground and water shot out from between her fingers, forming into a tall geyser that struck the dragon, which let out a shriek.

Slate inserted a chip into the side of his PET, '' Paralyze Bomb, slot in!''

Zero hurled the thing into the air. It impacted with its target, sending the immobilized dragon plummeting to the ground.

'' Now! Rockman, finish him!''

'' Uh, Watersword, slot in?'' Saito said nervously, selecting a new chip.

'' _Aqua_- sword.'' Rockman corrected as his hand morphed into a blue blade.

A face mask popped up, covering his mouth and nose, then he charged forward, slicing through the creature with ease. The Magma Dragon's torso slid off of its tail, the both halves fragmented.

'' Good job, you've managed to delete all of my viruses.'' an unfamiliar voice said.

Everyone turned to see a new navi standing near the hole that had been blown in the wall.

'' Who are you! How did you find us!'' Zero demanded, raising his saber.

'' I am Pyroman.exe.'' the navi said. His body suit was black, while his shoulder pads, boots, gloves, and torso armor were orange. His orange helmet was decorated with what appeared to be racing stripes. ''To answer your second question, your HQ is the only building in the area that's emitting significant cyberworld signals, it wasn't very hard to find you.''

He looked at the navis, then his black eyes alighted on Rockman. '' Who are you? I know that the other four are rebels, and that the normal navi was beaten, who are you?''

'' I'm Rockman.exe!'' Rockman said, his voice slightly muffled by his mask.

'' I've never heard of a rebel Rockman, or any Rockman for that matter.'' Pyroman said scowling.

Zero did not like being ignored. '' Why are you here, what do you want!'' 

'' Hmph, all you need to know is that I am a mercenary. A researcher within T-Corp asked my operator to defend a certain project of his from you.'' Pyroman explained, crossing his arms.

'' Wait a minute... this base has no connection to the net...'' Slate said, '' So in order to get in here, you would've had to of been plugged in from an external port outside... Vick, go check for intruders.''

Vick nodded and left, wincing a bit when he touched the door, which was still emitting heat.

'' This project, I assume it's those Dimensional Chips we've discovered.'' Zero deduced.

'' Yes, the manufacturing plant in region 174-'' Pyroman stopped, realizing what he had just said, then let out an oath so disgusting and potent, that Terry was shocked that a navi had been programmed to utter it.

'' Well, now that I've let that slip...'' Pyroman grumbled, '' I'm gonna have to delete you!''

Zero smirked, '' It's five on one, you really think that you can win? You're mistaken.''

Pyroman ignored him and threw a small fireball into the air. Well, that little fireball exploded with massive force, knocking everyone over. Zero's saber went clattering away.

Pyroman smiled and threw a larger fireball towards him. Zero did not try to dodge, he didn't need to. He summoned a disk like shield, and the fireball impacted against that, leaving Zero unharmed.

'' How did you...''

'' The Z-Saber isn't my only weapon.'' Zero said. He then threw the slightly blackened shield away from himself.

'' Ha! First you lose your sword, then you throw away your shield!'' Pyroman laughed, '' I would've thought that the great Zero would be more AHHHGG!'' The shield came flying back, slicing off several of his fingers.

Zero caught the shield and picked up his saber. '' Saber Wave!'' he cried, bringing down his saber, unleashing a wave of energy. The wave hit Pyroman, knocking him over. When he got up, he saw Rockman pointing his buster at him.

'' Charge Shot!''

A powerful energy blast flew from the end of the barrel and hit Pyroman in the side. He let out a scream as his side was blasted away. 

''He's... That attack was so powerful...'' Tyria said, awed.

'' It's the Ultimate Program.'' Zero said.

'' What is THAT!'' Crushman asked.

'' I'm not exactly sure, but it seems to serve as a latent power source. Apparently, it gave him various powers such as ' Soul Unison' and ' Full Synchro'. ''

'' I'm confused.'' Dash said, scratching his helmet.

'' I don't really understand it much myself, but I think that's why Akira-sama wanted to find him, so that his power would be added to ours.'' Zero explained.

While this was happening, Pyroman slowly, painfully picked himself off of the ground, with a portion of his left side gone.

'' D-Damn you... Rockman. I swear... that... I will get you for this. I... will!'' He logged out.

Rockman breathed a sigh of relief and was automatically logged out, along with everyone else.

'' Hey boss!'' Vick shouted. Slate turned to see a haggard looking Vick enter the room. '' I didn't see anyone out there, but I did see a pickup truck driving away.''

'' That must've been Pyroman's operator.'' Slate sighed.

'' Yeah, but his navi let slip where the factory is! We can go there and shut it down!'' Terry pointed out.

'' Yes, I will try to find out where region 174 is. When I do, we will leave.'' Slate said.

'' Um... Akira-san?''

Slate looked down to see Saito looking up at him.

'' Will Rockman and I be coming too?''

'' Naturally.''

Rockman nodded, '' I will gladly fight to rid the world of the Dimensional Chip menace, once and for all!'' 

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Longest chapter yet. Took forever to type originally, but that was cause I was

sick when I did so.

I think it's rather obvious who Pyroman's operator is. There are only seven chapters left too.


	15. Chapter 15

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Chapter 15: Merged Paths   
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'' So, how did all of you come together?'' Rockman asked.

Slate was busy searching for Region 174's location on the main computer, Vick was repairing Beta, and Terry was sorting his collection of battleships, while Butch and Karla were playing cards. Saito was leaning on the back of a chair, watching them.

'' I came from a town in Amerroppia.'' Terry began. '' My parents worked in a medical facility nearby, but one day a lethal virus managed to escape, and by the time quarantine was established, most of the people were dead, including my parents. I was only three or four, so I don't remember this.''

He paused, holding up a Machine Sword battlechip, then placed it with the rest of his sword chips.

'' An aid worker took me in.'' he continued. '' He was a friend of Slate's, so he defected from T-Corp with him. Afterwards, he raised me like a son until he died. Then I joined Slate's rebel group.'' 

'' My parents were quite privileged, so I had an excellent education.'' Vick said, continuing to repair his navi.

'' Then why can't you afford a better navi?'' Terry taunted.

'' Shut up! He's been my navi since I was a kid, I don't care if he's only a Normal Navi!'' Vick shot back. '' Anyway, I joined the rebels because of the lack of respect I was receiving elsewhere. A childish reason, I know, but now I am fighting for the right reasons.''

'' I was a mechanic at a military base.'' Butch began, drawing a card from the deck. '' Then came the Sharoan Revolt. A region of Sharo, which had always been militaristic, tried to overthrow the T-Corp government in the area. Needless to say, it was quickly put down. Afterwards, the base was closed, and a year or so later I met Slate and helped him and several others defect. So I've been with the rebels since the beginning.''

'' Well, I guess it's time for my life story.'' Karla said. '' There isn't much to say, I was living on the street for as long as I can remember. Mother was probably a prostitute. Anyway, I tried to pick pocket Slate in Kyotoro one day. Smartest move I've ever made.''

'' Slate and Zero were Enforcers.'' Butch said, jerking his thumb at Slate's back. '' We've already told you everything we know about him. There are still plenty of secrets to him though. We know he can't be 100 Japanese because of his eyes, and we don't know what he saw or did that convinced him to defect. But he brought us all together, gave us a home. We owe him a lot.''

_What odd circumstances had brought these unique individuals together._ Rockman thought. Then again, this time was vastly different then what he had known.

Terry finished sorting his chips and watched the card game progress. Unsurprisingly, Karla won. An idea came to his head.

'' Hey Saito, can I borrow Rockman for a few minutes?''

'' What do you want him for?'' Saito asked.

'' I just thought of something.'' Terry said mysteriously.

'' Well, if you say you need him, I guess you do.'' Saito said, handing over his PET.

'' Thanks.'' Terry said, turning around and leaving the room.

'' Terry, where are we going?'' Dash asked from his PET.

'' And why do you need me?'' Rockman asked from his own.

'' Okay, Saito said that he remembers waking up in a building. That building is now just an old wreck, but in the past it was a rest house for patrolling guards. There was a warp in that cyberworld, and the terminus is over here, after all, this used to be a military base, remember? It's a cross network warp, so only one end needs to be active to complete the circuit. Now do you see? There might just be some data on Saito.''

'' Yeah, but why do you need me?'' Rockman asked.

'' Because if there is any data, I think you deserve to see it first.'' Terry said quietly.

'' But what would Saito be doing in a military outpost?'' Dash asked. 

Terry shrugged as he descended some stairs. '' That's what we're trying to find out.''

The room he entered was dusty and dark, they didn't come down here all that much. Terry soon found the panel he was looking for, and pointed both PETs at it. '' Plug in.''

The two navis materialized in the network. Dash quickly spotted the glowing warp point, and he and Rockman stepped into it, activating it. With a flash, they were in the outpost's cyberworld.

It was old, and everything expect the warp that they had just immerged from was an especially drab shade of gray, which was due to no power being sent to it. Parts of the floor looked unstable, probably from decades of neglect.

'' Ahhh, there's nothing here...'' Dash sighed.

'' No, wait! Look!'' Rockman said excitedly, pointing to a third warp point. Sadly though, there was no glow, indicating that it could not be used.

'' Huh, looks like it hasn't been used in ages. Not surprising, considering the state of the cyberworld.'' Terry sighed.

'' Still, I wonder where it led too.'' Rockman wondered.

Another dead end. Why was it so hard to find any info on Saito? All they wanted to find out is how Saito was preserved. But they had run into dead ends every single time they came close to discovering the truth. It was like the past was taunting them. Dangling the truth in front of them, then snatching it away.

Terry's musings were interrupted by his PET ringing, indicating an incoming phone call. '' Hello?'' he said, bringing the PET closer to his face. 

Butch appeared on the screen. '' Hey, where the heck are you? Get yur butt back up here!''

'' Why so impatient?'' Terry asked, a little annoyed. '' Has something happened?''

'' Yeah, Slate found the factory's location. Get up here now!''

'' Fine fine. See you in a minute.'' Terry said, ending the call and plugging both navis out. Then he turned and headed back upstairs.

'' Area 174 is about 150 miles to the west of us.'' Slate explained. '' It'll be around an hour and a half's drive there. There is an old highway system there, so transportation will not be an issue. The area itself is pretty small too, so finding it won't be an issue either. Judging from what Pyroman said about guarding, it is safe to assume that it is completely computer controlled, and that there are no humans in the vicinity save his operator. We will have to deal with them, but that shouldn't be a problem, since there is two of them and twelve of us.''

'' So, we beat Pyroman, destroy the machinery, and then the chips?'' Butch asked.

Slate nodded, '' To put it simply, yes, that's right.''

'' Now everyone should get some rest for tomorrow, dismissed!'' 

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	16. Chapter 16

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Chapter 16: The Night Before   
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Terry rolled restlessly in his bed. He just couldn't fall asleep. He got up and paced his room for a second, then picked up his coat and put it on. His PET, which was lying in a charger next to his bed, flickered to life. '' Is something wrong Terry?'' Dash asked.

'' I'll be back in a little bit, I'm just going to take a walk to clear my head.'' Terry answered.

The night air was pleasantly cool against his face, and the sight of the night sky was soothing. In the distance, he could see a few lights from Kyotoro. Still, that uneasiness would not leave his head. Ever since Slate had dismissed them, a small feeling of foreboding had popped up in the back of his head, and it had been growing ever since.

'' What are you doing out here?''

Terry turned to see Karla approaching him. '' Just getting some air, that's all. What are you doing out here so late?'' he asked.

'' It's my turn to lock everything up for the night.'' she answered. '' I was going to go to bed now.''

'' Hmm.''

Karla noticed that Terry looked a little uneasy, even though he was trying to hide it. '' Terry, what's wrong? Please be honest with me.'' 

Terry sighed. '' I just have a bad feeling about this, like something terrible is going to happen.''

'' Well, that doesn't mean that anything will happen. It's just pre-mission jitters, that's all.'' Karla reassured. '' I am worried about Saito though...'' she added. '' He can't be older than 10, yet he'll be doing the work of adults. It may be too much for him.'' 

Terry smiled. '' First you try to say my feeling is nothing, but now you're worried too? Don't worry about Saito. He has Rockman with him, and if he's inherited his father's netbattling skills, there's nothing to worry about!''

'' Poor kid.'' Karla sighed, '' His father dying before he was even born, living during the Outbreak, and now this.''

'' Ah, a good night's sleep will do you good, you'll forget all about this.'' Terry told her. '' In fact, I'm going back to bed too. Night.''

'' Sleep well.'' Karla called after him, as she headed of in another direction, presumably to lock up something that she had forgotten. 

When Terry got back to his bed, he fell fast asleep.

_He was having a netbattle with Slate. Instead of plugging in however, Slate slotted in a Dimensional Chip. Zero appeared before Terry, a malevolent look in his eyes. ___

_Terry protested that Dash couldn't fight a real world Zero, but Zero said, _''Then we'll fight you instead!''_ and charged forward to attack... ___

_He was standing in front of the dead and bloodied bodies of Netto, Meiru, and Saito. Slate and Vick, Beta, Tyria, Crushman, Butch and Karla stood off to one side. ___

_Karla stepped forward and said,_ '' The jury finds the defendant guilty of the premeditated murder of the Hikari family.''_ Then Slate solemnly spoke:_ '' You have been found guilty of the murders of Hikari Netto, Hikari Meiru, and Hikari Saito. There is only one punishment for a crime so heinous: Death!''

_Rockman then appeared on Terry's left and fired a shot from his buster into Terry's side, sending him to the ground in fearsome pain. He looked and saw the bottoms of Rockman's boots heading towards him. ___

_BAM BAM BAM ___

_A ghostly voice began to wail his name. Terrrrryyyy... BAM BAM... Terrrrryyyy... BAM BAM... TERRRRRYYYY! _

'' Terry! Wake up!''

Terry awoke to find that it was morning and that he had fallen out of bed. Dash was calling his name in an effort to wake him up, while Vick was pounding on his door, shouting at him to get his rear in gear and get down.

'' Alright already! I'm comin' I'm comin' !'' Terry shouted and the pounding ceased.

'' Are you okay? You look pale.'' a concerned Dash asked.

'' I just had a nightmare, that's all.''

'' A 'nightmare'?''

'' It's like a dream, except it's a bad one.'' Terry explained.

'' A 'dream' ?''

'' I guess your sleep mode is quite different from natural sleep.'' Terry said. '' Well, I'll explain later, I need to get dressed and head down.''

Terry expected Slate to be giving some sort of breakfast pep talk, but he wasn't. He was sitting at the table, fingers steepled, deep in thought. Butch and Karla didn't look worried at all, while Vick's expression was impossible to read through his glasses. Saito, however, looked positively green. He thought about what Karla had said the previous night, then shook his head.

He plugged Dash in and went to get some food. In the cyberworld, the only one who looked nervous was Rockman. Crushman was the first to notice this and tried to reassure him. '' Don't worry kid, all of us were nervous on our first missions.''

'' Yeah! Cheer up. We've all got your back!'' Tyria said cheerfully. 

'' Although I'm afraid that I won't be of much use though...'' Beta sighed.

'' Thank you... Everyone...'' Rockman said quietly.

Dash held out his hand. '' We're going to do this!''

Crushman placed his large hand on top of Dash's, then Tyria, Beta, and finally Rockman added theirs to the pile.

'' Right!'' Rockman said more assertively. '' We WILL!''

'' Hmph.'' Zero muttered as he watched them. '' Kids.'' 

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	17. Chapter 17

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Chapter 17: The Factory   
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'' Terry, wake up, we're here.''

Terry awoke in the backseat of the transport truck to find Butch shaking him awake. Next to him, Karla was waking Saito, who had also fallen asleep.

Terry stepped out of the truck to see the Dimensional Chip factory. It was smaller than he had imagined it. It was composed of several boxy buildings inside of a compound. There were two short smoke stacks that were each letting out a small cloud of smoke. The landscape was mostly grassy, but there was a small grove of trees nearby.

'' Alright.'' Slate said. '' I'm going to hide the truck among those trees, then we'll find an entrance.

'' Are you sure that there are no guards here or anything?'' Butch asked waringly.

'' No, we would've been intercepted by now if that was the case.'' Slate answered.

'' If you say so.''

Afterwards Vick located an entrance gate, but it was locked and guarded by security cameras. However, since the entire factory was supposed to be autonomous, there had to be a plug in port.

'' I think that I'll be able to take care of this myself.'' Vick said, glancing at the entrance.

'' Are you sure?'' Karla asked.

'' Positive. Beta can deactivate the entire security system without activating any alarms. You guys would probably destroy it outright, activating every security feature here.'' Vick retorted as he took out his PET with a flourish. '' Plug in, Beta, transmission.''

A laser passed from his PET to the distant port, and soon Beta was in the cameras' computer.

'' It appears that the cameras and all other alarms and security send data to and from a central processor. I could synthesize an item of command data, insert it into the output flow, which will then send it to the central processor.'' Beta said after studying the cyberworld. 

'' Good.'' Vick said. '' Then order it to deactivate all of the security.''

'' Wow, I never knew that Beta could do something like advanced hacking.'' Karla said, impressed.

'' Alright, I'll tell it to deactivate the security. Oh, I'll also tell it to open all of the doors so that we can get in.'' Beta said as a glowing orb appeared in his hand, then it vanished.

After several minutes, the gate opened with a groan, signaling that Beta's plan had succeeded. Inside was a small grassy area, then the entrance to the factory, the door now yawning wide, beckoning the rebels hither. There was also a pickup truck parked nearby as well.

Slate took in this sight, then warned, '' Pyroman's operator is around here somewhere, be careful everyone.''

After entering the building, they walked down a hallway, all the while the sounds of various machines at work getting louder. Finally, they reached the large room where the actual production took place.

It began like this. Sheets of what appeared to be blue glass were melted down into a molten blue substance. This material was then poured into battlechip like molds, which were then cooled and hardened by submersion in a large tank of liquid. Then PET connecter strips were wired in. Finally, the chips were carefully arranged in open faced crates. All the while sparks were flying and steam and smoke rose into the air.

One of the crates was suddenly lifted into the air and began to move away. A closer inspection revealed that they were being transported by waist high, gray, treaded robots with arms specialized for handling the boxes.

'' Why are the sheets of glass blue?'' Saito asked, curious.

'' It's because they are made from the same material that Dimensional Converters are. But while those create Dimensional Areas in which cyber beings can enter our world, the chip form can bring a navi directly into our world without a Dimensional Area.'' Slate explained.

While he was saying this, one of the robots bumped into Terry. It backed up, raised its telescoping robotic eye at the obstacle, beeped angrily, then went around him. '' We're lucky we shut down the security, cause otherwise that thing would have alerted everything.'' 

Slate walked past all of the machinery to a large device that was emitting a menacing hum. '' This is the CPU I presume.'' he said. '' If we can shut this down...''

'' Well, there has to be a port on it somewhere.'' Terry said, joining Slate. '' But... I don't see one...''

'' What? You mean we can't plug in?'' Karla asked. '' Saito, do you see one over where you are?''

'' I'll look, but I don't see any over here. Come out, come out, where ever you are!'' Saito called, peering around the CPU's other side.

But even though he talked like a kid, he looked much different then he had when they first found him, Terry thought. Back then, he was dirty, depressed, and shy. Now he was more confident and assertive, determined, he even looked older.

_And Karla said that he might not be up to this. Ha! Was she wrong._ Terry thought. His thought was interrupted by laughter, and it wasn't pleasant laughter either.

Everyone looked up to see a man gazing down at them from a catwalk high above. '' Well, it looks like the rebels have come at last!'' he shouted down at them.

'' Who are you!'' Slate shouted back up.

'' Me?'' the man said as he descended a stairwell to a lower walkway and then walked over to the CPU. '' I'm the mercenary Ace. I was hired by Dr. Mattel, the creator of these chips, to guard this place from you!''

'' Well you sure did a lousy job of that!'' Terry retorted. '' Your navi told us exactly where it was! You call that guarding!''

'' How naive can you be? Did you think that he accidentally told you? No, he told you on purpose, to lure you here, and it worked!'' Ace laughed.

'' But, why who T-Corp hire a merc to do their own dirty work?'' Karla asked.

'' Because Mattel told me that after Akira stole those files, his superiors threatened to cut off funding if anything happened.'' Ace explained. '' He paid us quite handsomely too, he must really be desperate.''

'' So if we destroy the factory, Dimensional Chips may never again be made!'' Terry exclaimed.

'' I suppose so... Terry.'' Ace said. He studied the group below him. '' Let's see, the kid's Terry, that's Akira, the girl is Karla, the nerd is Vick, and the big guy is Butch. '' He began to laugh. '' That means that that little brat is Rockman's operator! What a joke! A kid, a rebel! Ha ha ha!''

'' Stop making fun of me!'' Saito shouted, his face going as red as his hair.

'' Aww, is da liddle baby mad?'' Ace taunted in babyspeak, which certainly didn't go well with his appearance. '' Anyway, Pyroman is in the CPU, waiting for you. Plug in NOW.''

'' But there's no port!''

'' That's because the port is up here, circle around, and you'll find it.''

Terry circled around till he saw a matinence panel. He, and everyone else, pointed their PETs at it.

'' Plug in!''

The six navis materialized in the CPU's cyberworld. The floor was composed of a green grid, which was raised in several places, like small hills. Standing at the base of one of them was Pyroman.

'' Well well, We meet again. I assure you, things will not go as they did the last time we fought.'' As if to emphasize his point, he burst into flames. 

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The finale begins. There are only 4 more chapters.


	18. Chapter 18

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Chapter 18: Flames of Vengeance   
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Dash turned his hand into a buster, as did Tyria, Beta, and Rockman. Crushman clenched his fists while Zero summoned his saber.

Pyroman finished his pyrotechnics, then spoke. '' Before we begin, there is a warp point behind me that leads to the CPU's core. But if you go there, you better be ready to face a horde of viruses.''

'' Not so!'' Tyria shouted back at him. '' We've deactivated the security here!''

'' Yes, the security of the factory.'' Pyroman answered. '' The CPU's security system is on a separate, internal network. You can't deactivate it externally.''

'' One of us will have to leave the battle... '' Zero muttered. '' Beta, when I tell you, break for the warp.''

'' Yessir.'' Beta responded.

'' Combustion Ball!'' Pyroman shouted, throwing one of those small fireballs at the navis.

'' I've got this one!'' Butch said, inserting a chip into the side of his PET. '' Slot in! Antifire!''

The fireball ground to a halt, and then flew in the opposite direction, slamming into Pyroman and detonating. Unsurprisingly, he emerged from the explosion relatively unhurt.

Slate selected a chip and dragged it over. '' Magnetbolt! Slot in!'' 

Zero's left hand was replaced by a large magnet, which he used to glue Pyroman's feet to the floor. '' Beta! Go!''

Beta nodded and ran as fast as he could past an infuriated Pyroman. He reached the warp unmolested and stepped into it. It brought him to a new area. It looked just like the one before, but there was a silver sphere floating in the air. It looked not unlike a disco ball.

'' That must be the CPU's core.'' Vick said to his navi. Before Beta could reply though, a swarm of viri appeared, just like Pyroman had said.

'' Oh dear...''

'' Energy Rain!'' Dash cried, using the same technique that he had used on the Dreamvirus. Pyroman was a bit more agile then the virus though, and he managed to dodge most of the beams.

'' Rockbuster!'' Rockman shouted, firing off a shot. Pyroman ducked it, then held out his hand. '' Combustion Flare!''

A powerful blast of flame flew from his palm, scorching the floor. Zero and Tyria hit the dirt to avoid it, while Rockman and Dash sidestepped. Crushman was already out of range.

Slate selected a new chip. '' Aquablade, slot in.''

Zero's left hand morphed into a curved blue blade. He dashed up to Pyroman and slashed him with both the blade and his saber.

Pyroman staggered backward, reeling from the blows. ''Fireblade...'' he grumbled, morphing his right hand into a curved red blade. He leapt towards Rockman.

Saito selected a chip and dragged it over. '' Samurai Sword, slot in!'' 

Rockman's buster morphed into a thin, curved blade which he used to parry Pyroman's attack.

Saito had learned the ropes of operating fast. The previous evening, Butch and Karla had spent three hours drilling Saito with a training program, and he had done really well towards the end. He must have of inherited his father's skill after all.

Rockman ducked another swing, then threw a punch at Pyroman's stomach, but it was a feint, for he brought the sword down for another attack. Pyroman barely managed to block this, then he retaliated with a kick that caught the smaller navi under the chin, knocking him painfully to the ground.

Saito selected a new chip. '' Fumikomizan!''

Rockman vanished from the floor, then cut through Pyroman with a Widesword-like sword, leaving a slice down Pyroman's side.

'' This isn't working Pyroman.'' Ace said, speaking to his PET. '' Instead of taking them all on, only focus on one at a time. He inserted a chip. '' Areasteal, slot in.''

Pyroman warped away, and reappeared behind Crushman. He slashed him twice with his Fireblade, then pressed his hand against the larger navi's back. '' Combustion Flare!''

A blast of fire blew through poor Crushman's chest. As soon as the flames died, his data dissolved into deletion.

'' CRUSHMAN!'' Butch cried as the word _delete_ appeared on his PET screen.

'' You have a backup, right?'' Karla asked him.

'' Of course I do, but not here. It's back at HQ.''

'' At least you have one.''

Ace smiled. '' Good work. Activate Full Energy Subchip.''

Pyroman briefly glowed, and when it faded, he was back at full health.

'' Now plug out.'' Ace said. '' It is time.''

'' Time for what?'' Zero demanded.

'' Hee hee. I'll be seeing you soon. Heh heh.'' Pyroman sneered as he plugged out.

'' It is time...'' Ace said as he pulled something out of his pocket. '' For all of you to die!''

He inserted the thing into his PET.

'' DIMENSIONAL CHIP, SLOT IN! '' 

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Bleh, this chapter could've been done better. Anyway, I think that it's rather

obvious as to what's going to happen in the next chapter.


	19. Chapter 19

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Chapter 19: The Asteroid's Return   
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'' Dimensional Chip, slot in!'' Ace shouted as he inserted the blue chip into his PET.

A pillar of light appeared in front of him, then it expanded, and when it faded away, there was Pyroman, standing in the real world, glaring at them all with malicious intent.

Karla backed up, a look of shock upon her face. '' I can't believe it... He really came into the real world...''

Terry backed up as well. Humans were much weaker than navis. At least, they were when they didn't have weapons. How would they be able to fight back?

'' Well, now that I've done that, I'm outta here.'' Ace smirked, turning to leave, then said, '' Oh yeah, Pyroman! I'll be sending you battlechips. Have fun rebels! Ha ha ha!'' He walked to the end of the walkway, and disappeared through a door.

'' Get back here you!'' Terry shouted angrily, but of course, Ace didn't listen.

'' Now listen up!'' Pyroman said, pointing at them. '' I'm not going to spare any of you, not even the little brat!'' He put his hands together. '' Combustion Ball!''

He threw another fireball at the rebels. It sailed over their heads, but the detonation shook the building, and the shock threw the humans to the floor.

Terry collided painfully with one of the robots, knocking it over and spilling its cargo all over the floor. He picked up one of the chips and gazed at it. The Dimensional Chip appeared to be made from blue glass. In fact, the only metal part was the PET connector strip. It was the only way they would be able to fight Pyroman, the only way... 

'' Slot in! Dimensional Chip!''

Dash vanished from the PET screen, and, in a pillar of light, he reappeared in front of Terry.

Terry slowly got to his feet. '' You... you're in our world...'' he said, amazed.

'' Yeah...'' Dash said, looking at his hands as if he had never seen them before. '' It's so weird...''

Terry picked up three more chips and threw them to his companions. '' Use these!''

Slate didn't need a prompt, he instantly inserted the chip. Karla and Saito examined their chips for an instant, then they too inserted theirs. Soon, Tyria, Zero, and Rockman appeared in the real world with looks of either surprise or wonderment on their faces.

'' Looks like you're outnumbered again, you can't beat all four of us.'' Slate told Pyroman.

'' At my current power level, you are correct, I probably can't.'' he admitted. Then he began to sneer, always a bad sign. '' But once my operator finishes transmitting it to me, you're all doomed!''

'' Finish transmitting what?''

'' The Extra Code.''

'' And that is?''

Pyroman's sneer grew broader. '' It's a rather obsolete, but effective, way to increase a navi's power. A password is entered, which activates the program. Extra Codes can do all sorts of things. Increase power, defense, it can give me any kind of ability, as long as the corresponding code is entered.''

'' And it gave me the Aqua Custom Style Change...'' Rockman muttered, apparently refering to an event in his past.

'' Extra Code or not, we will still delete you!'' Zero said angrily, pointing his saber at the larger navi.

'' I think you'll be changing your tune...'' Pyroman retorted, '' ...once you go against my new powers!''

He screwed up his eyes like he was having a migraine, then arched his back back and let out a shout. He staggered, panting heavily, then sneered. '' It's... over.''

He straightened up, then said, '' Now, it's a little too crowed in here. We can't afford to destroy all of the machinery. Fortunately, my operator has just sent me the perfect chip to take care of that: Going Load!''

Panels with arrows pointing away appeared beneath the rebels' feet. Then it started, to transport them back down the hall that they had entered from, just like a moving sidewalk at airports, but much, much faster. In the blink of an eye, they were outside, in the grassy area between the factory building, and the enclosure.

'' Hey! The pickup truck's gone!'' Karla noticed when the panels faded. 

'' Hmph, the operator has left the navi to do all the work.'' Tyria said indignantly.

The sound of a distant explosion was heard, and part of the wall of the building was blown apart. Pyroman stepped out of the hole and surveyed the group. '' Are we all here? Good, now you will die.'' 

Rockman, Zero, Tyria and Dash assumed battle stances as their operators readied to support them.

Pyroman brought his hand to the ground, '' Fire Tower!''

A column of flames leapt into the air. Slate decided not to use the clichéd Fire/Aqua tower trick, but instead slotted in an Oceanseed and a Come on Rain!.

Zero lobbed the blue bulb into the air. It broke when it landed, creating an ankle deep puddle around the navis. Then, storm clouds appeared, and let loose their downpour. While the flames were extinguished however, Pyroman appeared unharmed.

'' I hit you with an aqua attack, and I used a powerup for it beforehand, so why are you unhurt?'' Zero asked, confused.

'' With the Extra Code backing me, a little drizzle won't hurt me!'' Pyroman declared. He then vanished, then reappeared in front of Zero. '' It also increased my speed.'' He then kneed Zero in the stomach, who went down with a grunt.

'' You really are dumber than I thought Zero. Now all of you are wet, which calls for a Custom Bolt!''

His hand was replaced by a lightning conductor, and a bolt shot from it and hit the large puddle, which all four of the navis were in.

'' Are you okay!'' Terry shouted. '' Ugg, I'm okay... Terry.'' Dash groaned. '' I think- Ahhhgg!'' Pyroman had just punched him, sending him flying.

'' His raw physical strength has increased exponentially...'' Slate growled, gritting his teeth in frustration. How the devil could they win?

The Quaker virus fragmented as it was hit by a buster shot. '' That's the last one...'' Beta sighed. That battle had seriously worn him out, as he wasn't designed to fight like that. The fact that his operator had had to find cover from the real world Pyroman certainly hadn't helped either. He looked up at the core. '' The core still needs to be destroyed...''

'' Think you can handle a program advance?'' Vick asked.

'' I'll try.''

'' Very well then! Cannon, Hi Cannon, Mega Cannon, triple slot in! Activate Zeta Cannon!''

Beta aimed the multi barreled, cube shaped cannon at the core, and fired. Multiple energy blasts flew from it, completely obliterating the silver sphere.

All over the factory, machines began to shut down. Manufacturing machines, lights, robots, everything.

Vick sighed in relief. '' Plug out Beta.''

Just then, a hand clamped down on his shoulder. He tensed up, but then a familiar voice spoke. '' Relax man. It's me.''

'' Don't scare me like that Butch, I thought you were Ace.'' Vick grumbled, twisting out of Butch's grip.

'' Ace left. The others are fighting Pyroman.'' Butch told him. '' We should go find them and help out in anyway we can.''

'' Will we be of any use?'' Vick asked. '' Your navi was deleted, and Beta won't be any use until he's recovered his strength.''

Terry reached the top step of the stairwell and climbed up onto the factory's roof. The battle had moved up there, and it was not going well. Tyria had been forced to log out, while the others, Dash, Rockman, and Zero, had all taken extensive damage. Pyroman had taken some damage as well, but that hadn't slowed him down much. If the rebels were going to win, something needed to happen, and fast. 

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Originally, Pyroman was going to be Darkchip'd, but the Extra Code is more original.

I'm not 100 sure if that is how it worked, but for the purposes of this fic, that's how

it does.

There are only two chapters left, almost done…


	20. Chapter 20

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Chapter 20: A Life so Short...   
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'' Longblade!'' Pyroman shouted as his hand morphed into a long, pink blade.

'' Ugg, Machine Sword, slot in.'' Terry grumbled. Pyroman wasn't stunned, so the sword would be useless offensively, but it could still be used defensively.

Zero raised his saber in front of his body, but it was clear that he was weakening.

Pyroman dashed towards the two navis to attack. Dash raised his blade to defend, but it was chopped in two with a single blow. Next, Pyroman turned his attention to Zero. He kicked the saber away, then knocked him to the ground.

'' I'll let you live for a little bit longer now.'' Pyroman told the fallen navi. This time, there was no malicious smile on his lips, only cold fury. '' Right now I have a little score to settle with your blue friend over there.'' Without turning around, he held his hand out in Saito's direction. '' Combustion Ball.''

'' You can't!'' Slate shouted, a look of horror on his face. '' Zero! Stop him! NOW!''

Zero slowly rose from the roof's surface, but Pyroman again knocked him away. He released the fireball.

'' SAITO-KUN!'' Rockman screamed. He did the only thing he could to protect his operator. He dived in front of him and raised his arms and spread out his legs, so that he was spread eagle.

_BOOM_

The fireball exploded on impact. When it faded, Rockman was standing in his protective pose, burns all over his body, and a look of agony on his face. Saito had fallen over on his backside, and was looking up at his navi, a look of terror on his face.

Rockman took several steps backward, then went down on one knee, so that he was right in front of Saito. Pyroman walked up to him. '' And now, you will die.'' he told the fallen navi.

He thrust the longblade forward so that it pierced Rockman's chest. He let out a cry of pain, but Pyroman drove the blade in up to the hilt before he withdrew it.

Rockman's hands fell limply to his sides. He gave a weak glance down at his boots, and saw that they were growing fuzzy. He didn't have much time left.

'' S-Sai... to... kun...'' he whispered. He didn't have enough strength to turn around.

'' I... was glad that... I was able to... meet you... after all these... years.''  
His boots began to dissolve, and it was spreading.

'' I'm sure that... N...Netto-kun... would've been proud... of you...'' The fading had reached his torso. This was the end.

'' _Goodbye... Saito... kun..._''

And he was gone.

The three rebels, Karla, Slate, and Terry stood there stunned, appalled at what they had just witnessed. '' No... you deleted him...'' Dash whispered.

'' He had it coming.'' Pyroman said, no trace of remorse in his voice. '' I told him that he would pay.'' He raised his sword in front of him. '' And you're next- What the!'' The sword was smeared red with blood. _But navis don't have blood..._

Terry felt horrified. There was only one place where that blood could've come from...

Saito was still sitting on the ground, but his look of terror had changed to one of shock. Red, warm blood was steadily leaving his body through the twin cuts the sword had inflicted. One through his chest, the other through his back.

'' You, you BASTARD!'' Terry shouted at Pyroman. '' How could you? HOW COULD YOU?''

'' It isn't my fault that he was directly behind Rockman.'' Pyroman shrugged in dismissal.

'' Dash! Delete him!'' Terry ordered, filled with rage. '' Right!'' Dash said, equally angry. '' You too Zero! Terminate him!'' Slate ordered. '' Gladly Akira-sama!''

Pyroman sighed. '' You know that won't work. With the Extra Code I'm Ahhhhhgggggg!''

He screamed, and his body began to flicker, like a malfunctioning hologram, and electricity danced over his body.

Dash and Zero ground to a halt. '' What in the world...''

'' Argh, the... Extra Code... drain... energy... forgot!'' Pyroman groaned, his voice distorted. Sometimes ultra deep, other times ultra high.

'' Now's your chance Dash! Paladin Sword! Slot in!''

'' Zero! Saberwave!''

Dash leveled his sword at the target, while Zero raised his blade.

'' Saberwave!'' he cried, bringing his sword down.

'' Yahhh!'' Dash shouted as his sword turned into a wave of energy. The two waves hit the immobilized Pyroman, who let out a final scream as he went up in a mushroom cloud.

Ace sat in the driver's seat of his pickup dumbfounded. The word _delete_ appeared on his PET screen, and the Dimensional Chip popped out of the slot in gate.

How could his plan have failed? How? The Extra Code should've given Pyroman more than enough power to destroy the rebels, yet he had been destroyed instead!

'' Hmm, you were so close, but instead you have ruined everything.'' a female voice said.

Ace looked down at his PET to see a helmetless female navi staring back at him. '' Who the hell are you?''

'' I am Lunare.exe.'' the navi said. '' Sigh, Mattel will be so sad when we tell him what you've done. It looks like we'll have to cut off funding after all.''

'' How did you get here, and what the #$& do you want!''

'' It is vital that you do not cause anymore trouble. I hope you understand that we must terminate you.''

A panic seized Ace. He reached for the door lock, but it wouldn't budge. '' Let me outta here now!''

'' I'm afraid I can't do that.'' Lunare replied. '' Goodbye.''

A few minutes later, all that was left of the truck was a flaming wreck.

'' Saito! Saito! Oh God, this is horrible!''

With there navis plugged out, the three rebels ran over to Saito. There was a lot of blood, but at least he was still conscious. '' Saito! Are you all right?'' Stupid question really, but it didn't matter anymore.

'' It... hurts...'' Saito whispered weakly. '' Am... am I gonna die? I don't want to die!''

'' Don't talk like that, just, try to stay calm.'' Karla told him softly, her eyes bright with tears.

'' Hey! What's going- Oh shit!'' someone shouted. Butch and Vick appeared on the other side of the roof, and when they saw what was going on, they hurried over.

'' You're not gonna die Saito, you're not gonna, you're too young...'' Terry told him, even though he had the terrible feeling that the boy was going to bleed to death long before anything could be done. 

Saito closed his eyes. '' I am going to die, aren't I...'' he muttered, guessing the truth. '' I'll see Mama and Daddy again... and maybe even Rockman...'' he whispered. Comforted by this thought, he smiled weakly, '' Bye... friends...''

'' Don't say that... Please!'' Karla begged.

She received no answer, for Saito Hikari was already at peace. 

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…

There is one chapter left, and that one explains how Saito got into the story to begin with.


	21. Chapter 21

Q&A time!

Q(jhvh777)- What happened to Roll?

A- To tell you the truth, I've never really given her much thought while I was writing this. Since all the members of the original cast, save Rockman and Blues, are long gone at this point, I guess that it's safe to say that she was either deleted during the Outbreak, or simply faded away into the mists of time, similar to how Masa, Saloma, and Miyuki are all but nonexistent post EXE. But that raises an interesting question; what does happen to a navi when their operator dies?

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Chapter 21: The Link Between the Past and Present   
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Burying a person was never an enviable experience, but burying a child was even worse. Saito Hikari, the last of the Hikari family, had died from blood loss after being impaled by Pyroman's sword. While the machinery and all of the chips had been destroyed afterwards, there was no sense of victory, only sorrow.

Everyone had changed in some way, but nowhere was the changed more evident than in Slate and Zero. No longer were they impatient and harsh, but rather, they were now more subdued and less strict. Maybe it was because they felt responsible for the death, since they were the leaders.

'' You know, that was the only time in my life that I felt absolutely helpless.'' Terry told Karla one day. The two of them were outside, at the simple grave that had been dug. They had buried the boy with Rockman's PET, and the photograph of him and Meiru.

'' When you have the blood of a child on your hands, and he's expiring in front of you...'' Terry continued.

'' Oh stop saying things like that, please!'' Karla begged. '' This was undoubtedly the worst mission we've ever done, but please stop rubbing it in! It makes it even worse.''

Terry looked away. '' We never did find out how he got here...''

'' Actually, we did. You just didn't want to be spoken to. You see, Butch and Vick paid a visit to that guard house, and hidden beneath it was a laboratory.''

'' Really?'' Terry asked, interested. '' What was in it?''

'' They found an electronic file that contained a report written by Meijin Eguchi.''

'' He was the one who left that message on the Scilab file!'' Terry exclaimed.

'' Yes. He worked there, and was a good friend of the Hikari's. Anyway, he disclosed how Saito retained his youth all these years.''

'' How!''

'' You know how we can put navis in a prolonged state of stasis, right? You know, sort of like an extended sleep mode.''

'' Yeah, Rockman proved that.''

'' Well, this is similar, but with humans instead. The metabolism is slowed to induce stasis. Sort of like a hibernating animal. No, scratch that, more like the old technology of crytogenics, but without the freezing.''

'' Suspended Animation...'' Terry muttered. '' But, why would his mother allow something like that to be done to a child?''

Karla shrugged. '' I guess she wanted to spare him from the horrors of the Outbreak. This was around the time the Outbreak was at its height.'' 

'' So, your body doesn't age?'' Terry asked.

'' Yes, that's accurate.'' Karla answered.

'' So why did he awaken when he did?''

'' I suppose the power generator finally conked out after all this time, releasing him from the stasis.''

Terry tried to imagine what that must have been like, waking up in a strange place, with no one around. It must have been frightening. 

'' So, what happened to Meiru?''

'' According to Meijin, she died not long after, after leaving the photo and the PET with her sleeping son.''

'' Suicide?''

Karla shook her head. '' No. Apparently, she died in her sleep. I guess she just didn't have the will to live anymore. She had already lost her husband, and now her son... This experiment was top secret, so Meijin corrupted the Scilab file on it, that was why we couldn't read it. 

Terry recalled the beautiful, yet sad woman on Saito's photo. '' Life is so evanescent...'' he sighed. '' If you really think about it, all of this doesn't matter... in the great scheme of things...''

'' Don't talk like that! Of course this is important!'' Karla reprimanded.

'' You think that you'll live forever, but then reality wakes you up, not by killing you, but by killing someone close to you.'' Terry mused. '' That way, not only do you have to live with it, but the lesson that we're not immortals is even stronger...''

'' Well, while this experience was horrible, we can use it as a lesson, to strive harder.'' Karla told him.

He nodded. '' I guess you're right. The heroes of the past are gone now, so it's up to us, the fighters of the present, to restore justice.'' 

They stood for awhile, paying their respects. Terry knew, that whatever the future held in store for them, no matter if their rebellion succeeded or failed, no matter how old he got, or what his, and his friends' fates were, he would never forget the young, red headed boy, and his faithful, blue navi.

**FIN**

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There, it's completed. To everyone who read this, thank you.

But I'm not done with this, not by a long shot. I've got a sequel that's ready to go, and I should have it up in a few days, when time allows. Once again, thank you, readers.


End file.
